what types of personal information can thieves collect and how?
Before we give advice on what to do if someone is stealing your mail and how to report mail theft, let’s clarify which types of mail are the most risky. remember to be very careful whenever you send or receive such mail.
financial documents, such as credit card details, records and transactions, are the most prone to identity theft through the mail. they include information that provides immediate access to victims’ finances. personal and account documents are also a common target for mail theft for the same reason. such posting allows an identity thief to obtain your date of birth, social security number, phone number, driver’s license number, username, and passwords.
Basically, identity thieves can target any direct mail that includes personal information. In addition to the categories listed, criminals can also spam PII data, documents related to school and business.
approaches to identity theft by mail
Identity theft by mail is not technically as complicated as cracking databases. therefore, to protect your mail from fraudulent activities, it may be enough to know how thieves behave. there are several common approaches:
- thieves send a fraudulent change of address request to your mail carrier and redirect your shipment
- someone takes your credit card bill. once that mail has been stolen, the identity thief can use your data to pay for goods and services. alternatively, the criminal uses the information on the bill to call you on behalf of a credit company and receive other sensitive information
- identity thieves obtain outgoing mail that you send to a credit card company, for example. this allows them to cash checks, find out your bank account number, name and address
- criminals can steal directly from post office boxes and take advantage of the information obtained before someone even calls the police. local post offices do not always guarantee the necessary protection of their mailboxes, which makes it easy for courier identity theft.
four tips on what to do if someone is stealing your mail and how to report mail theft
tip #1 on what to do if someone is stealing your mail
First of all, you need to know your mailing program and be aware of all the critical documents you receive on a regular basis. this will help you notice the moment something goes wrong and your postman starts ignoring you. In many cases, the postal service should not be blamed, it is the work of identity thieves. Also, you should never leave mail in your mailbox and try to take it home immediately.
note. If you’re a business that uses direct mail for marketing or operational purposes and wants to protect your customers, consider automation. direct mail automation offered by inkit simplifies mail tracking and makes mail delivery more manageable. In addition, the tool automatically processes customer data, which significantly reduces the risk of a breach.
tip #2 on what to do if someone is stealing your mail
You can reduce the volume of mail that includes personally identifiable information to minimize the possibility of email identity theft. Be sure to complete payments online to avoid mailing physical financial records. You can also opt out of receiving most types of direct mail by using the national spam lists. learn how to opt out of spam here.
tip #3 on how to report email theft
If a theft has already been committed, you should file a fraud alert on the United States Postal Inspection Service website. click this link for quick access. this service also offers a variety of other additional resources to help you understand what to do if someone is stealing your mail. Additionally, you can file a complaint or find out how to report mail theft on the Federal Trade Commission’s official website.
tip #4 on how to report mail theft
If your mail has been stolen, you should also contact the sender/recipient. if it is a financial institution or an insurance company, they may take steps to protect you from their end. additionally, you may be eligible for compensation.
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