Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the US, and over 10 million Americans were victimized last year. Criminals are using predominantly low-tech methods to get their victims’ information, such as stealing wallets or mail, either from the garbage or your mailbox.
The fact is, if you have an old-fashioned mailbox, you are very vulnerable to identity theft. A locking mailbox is a modern day necessity.
With mail theft incidents increasing at an alarming rate, more and more people are realizing the importance of using a locking mailbox to protect their identities. They realize they use a paper shredder to shred the mail that comes in their unlocked mailbox, and make the connection that they aren’t covering all their bases. Next purchase: a locking mailbox.
Americans are making this connection from a number of “a-ha” sources. There is increased media coverage of mail identity theft, for one. Some may simply see their neighbor has a new locking mail box and think about how their mailbox is vulnerable by comparison. And others may see a locking mailbox in their local hardware store, and decide that’s something they ultimately should have.
With the advent of secure locking mailboxes and their growing popularity among consumers, it is only a matter of time before a locking mailbox becomes the norm. At that point, the individuals most vulnerable to mail identity theft will be those without a locking mailbox, and those with a low quality locking mail box. (Thieves are more creative than most give them credit for, and break-in to these low quality locked mailboxes).
If you don’t already have a locking mailbox, you’re not ultra vulnerable just yet. According to the USPS, there are still 60 million unlocked mailboxes. But mail delivery isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and it’s just a matter of time before most everyone decides that it’s a bad idea to leave personal identifying information vulnerable on the side of the street in an unlocked mailbox, there for anyone to take.
Our prediction: Someday soon, the anachronistic unlocked mailbox will be a thing of the past! Until then, we’re here to help you get with the wave of the future. Get the Mail Boss locking security mailbox to protect yourself from the nation’s fastest growing crime of mail identity theft.
