More United States Postal letter carriers are getting robbed while trying to deliver your mail, according to court records.
It's a problem here in Hampton Roads and across the nation.
“Almost every day we get reports of people being robbed,” said Vada Preston, a representative with the National Association of Letter Carriers.
We’ve told you about cases throughout the region.
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“It's spread out. Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, it's pretty much all throughout Tidewater evenly,” said Preston.
Preston also delivered mail for 18 years here in Hampton Roads and said carriers keep an eye on the neighborhoods they serve.
“There were times when I would be walking down the street, and the police would ride past and say, ‘Hey, have you seen this little kid, or have you seen this person?'"
According to federal court records, the United States Postal Inspection Service reports there were 38,500 mail thefts in 2022 and 25,000 cases in the first half of this year.
Documents state that 412 letter carriers were robbed while on the job in 2022, compared to 305 for just the first half of 2023.
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“At one time, there was this thing that you didn't mess with the mailman,” said Preston.
Preston and other experts say postal workers are being attacked for arrow keys, which is like a master key that can open up things like blue boxes or apartment mailbox panels.
Postmaster General of the United States Louis DeJoy told Congress back in May that the keys are being sold on the dark web, sometimes for $5,000, $6,000 or even $7,000 in one case.
If put in the wrong hands, an arrow key could help someone gain access to mail and a lot of personal information.
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We reached out to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service who issued the following statement:
The increase in crime throughout the country over the past several years has resulted in escalating criminal incidents against United States Postal Service (USPS) employees and the mail. Every postal employee deserves to work in safety and to be free from targeting by criminals seeking to access the public's mail. In an increasingly challenging environment, the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are highly focused on protecting postal employees and property and ensuring the secure delivery of the nation's mail and packages.
Recognizing these ongoing safety threats, we have been - and will continue to- implement an engaged, robust nationwide initiative to harden blue collection boxes, enhance collection box key and lock technology and institute dual authentication for change of address protocols. These measures not only protect the integrity of the mail but offer additional safeguards for our carriers and other employees. Furthermore, USPS and USPIS are partnering with federal and local authorities to enforce the laws and bring criminals to justice.
We will continue to adapt to evolving security threats and implement expanded measures to safeguard our employees and preserve the security of the mail that our customers expect and deserve. The U.S. Postal Service continues to implement additional preventative, protection, and enforcement measures.
In addition to these efforts of USPS, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is also dedicated to educating the American public on crime prevention steps they can take to help protect the mail and mail carriers. Customers can take several steps to protect their mail and their carriers, including:
- Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
- Deposit outgoing mail at your local Post Office.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
- Consider starting a neighborhood watch program. By exchanging work and vacation schedules with trusted neighbors, you can watch each other’s mailboxes and residences.
- Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
The Postal Inspection Service encourages customers to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint here or calling 877-876-2455.
Brianna Lanham contributed to this story.
