Identity Theft: Mail

Is it safe to use my home address as a mailing address?

The problem with using your home address as your mailing address is you're giving out more information. It jeopardizes your privacy. Otherwise, I would always consider using a post office box. A post office box is definitely the most secure form of mail delivery. There's less hands that are handling that mail. It goes right into the post office box, and that's it. It can't be stolen out of your home mail box. It can't be lost in transit, and it can't be improperly delivered to somebody who has a similar name or a similar address as you.

How can identity thieves use my mail to steal information from me?

Mail is one of the most common methods for identity thieves to extract data about you. Consider what comes in the mail on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. For most of us, there's enough information that comes in the mail where someone can compromise our identity: social security benefits, tax information, W-2 forms, W-9s, and then credit card information, billing statements. All that data coming in the mail can compromise identities. That's why I always recommend always turning the paper off.

Do pre-approved credit card offers make me vulnerable to identity thieves?

The unfortunate part of the pre-approved credit card offers is that consumers are receiving as many as 3.5 billion pre-approved credit card offers every single year. Now, there only are around 21 million people in this country actually old enough to qualify for credit and those peolple are receiving 3.5 billion pre-approved credit card offers. Unfortunately, most of those pre-approved credit card offers go in the trash and identity thieves now that all they have to do is fill the information out, plug in your social security number, change the address and then get real credit cards under your name. So the key here is to turn of those pre-approved credit card offers. The best way to do that is by calling 18885OPTOUT, that's 18885OPTOUT and all the credit card companies that participate in the OPT OUT Program will stop sending you credit card pre-approvals to that address. In the event that you get pre-approved credit card in the mail, which we all do, you really need to shred those. Don't just throw them away. Dont have them sitting around in your home or office. Shred them to death using a cross cut shredder.

What is a "locked mail box" and can one protect me from identity theft?

A locked mail box is any mail box that you install at your home or your office that requires a key to access that mail. Generally, it has a slot so that the postal carrier can still put your mail in there without actually having a key, but in order to extract that mail to get it, you yourself have to put in a key to get that mail, preventing an identity thief from getting your personal information via your mail box.I always recommend that a consumer or small business person get a locking mail box, because paper that comes in the mail is the path of least resistance for identity thieves. They love to go through your mail boxes and take all of your personal data. So get a locked mail box without a doubt.

Is my outgoing mail vulnerable to identity theft?

I never recommend leaving your outgoing mail in your mailbox at pickup. When you put that red flag up, that's a red flag to identity thieves saying, "Come and get it". I always recommend taking your outgoing mail and either delivering it right to the post office or putting it in one of those big blue postal boxes.

What should I do if I suspect my mail has been stolen?

The moment that you feel that your mail has been stolen, the first thing you have to do is call the postal inspector and report it and also call law enforcement, and they'll do a thorough investigation. The problem with mail is that the change of address cards that we fill out at the post office to change our mailing address, anybody at any given time can fill out that information and actually change your mailing address to another address at any time. They can do it online at USPS.gov, and they can also do it right at the post office, and usually there isn't even any identification required. So the reality of it is, that system is very flawed, and allows identity thieves to change our mailing address at any given time. So in the event that you have not received mail for a certain period of time, usually a minimum of three to five days, I would immediately call the post office to find out what's going on.