A Warning About Mail Theft
Unfortunately, Richland Park/Oaks has experienced problems with mail theft over the past several years.
Here are some suggestions to help protect you from mail theft. Mail theft is sometimes very difficult to determine, because how do you know whether your mail was stolen or simply just wasn’t delivered that day. Given this difficult dilemma, please consider these options.
- Do not have sensitive mail (checks, tax forms etc.) sent to your Richland Park/Oaks mailbox. Instead, get a PO Box. PO Boxes are much safer and generally immune from problems associated with mail theft.
- Do not send sensitive mail (tax forms etc.) from your Richland Park/Oaks mailbox. You can easily mail items at work, or take them directly to the post office.
- Get a locking mailbox. Thieves will typically go for the quick easy targets, skipping past mailboxes that are locked. Some of the local hardware stores sell locking mailboxes for around $50. Some residents have even installed special mailboxes with a slide to drop mail into their backyards.
- You should always keep up with your credit reports and credit card transactions, making sure all activity is accounted for.
If you see any suspicious vehicles or people in the alleys, especially if they are tampering with mailboxes please call 911 immediately. Then call our Crime Watch, 972-234-8069. We would like to be informed on any criminal activity in our neighborhood.
