2LT International News

WASHINGTON D.C.: The US Postal Service has announced that it is cracking down on rising mail theft, carrier robberies, change-of-address fraud and fake postage.

As part of the efforts, the Postal Service will install 12,000 high-security blue collection boxes around the US to make access more difficult for criminals, and is planning to replace additional existing blue collection boxes, it added.

To prevent rising letter carrier robberies around the country, it will also replace 49,000 outdated arrow locks with electronic locks.

Criminals are also targeting letter carriers to obtain their keys to steal mail from secure mail receptacles and commit financial fraud crimes.

Postal officials said they aim “to protect postal employees and the security of the nation’s mail and packages as threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail fraud incidents have escalated concurrently with a national rise in crime,” the USPS and the US Postal Inspection Service said.

Some 412 letter carriers were robbed in the 2022 budget year, compared with 305 in the six months ending 30th March.

More than 25,000 reported thefts from mail receptacles, including blue collection boxes, were reported in the six months ending 30th March, compared with 38,500 for all of 2022, the USPS reported.

The USPS is also strengthening authentication processes for Change of Address requests. In April, it adopted dual authentication identity certification, and will no longer accept third-party change of address submissions.

More than 340,000 packages with counterfeit postage and more than 7.7 million counterfeit stamps, causing an estimated $7.8 million loss, were seized in 2022.