8 Mail Drop Boxes Damaged, Opened In Morristown: Police

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Several blue United States Postal Service collection mailboxes were damaged and might have mail stolen out of them in Morristown recently, police said.

Police say the mailboxes looked like they were pried open during the first week of January in what they believe is the work of an organized group. Mail might have been stolen in a "mailbox fishing" scheme; anyone who used the boxes is asked to check to make sure their payments were received by the intended recipient.

Anyone who is concerned about mailbox fishing can drop their mail off at the Morris Street post office or the Ridgedale Avenue location.

Suspicious activity should be reported to local police and the United States Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455, Option 2.

The following mailboxes were targeted:

• 1 Morris Street
• 22 Maple Ave
• 67 Maple Ave
• 25 Elm Street
• 44 Hill Street
• 22 Pine Street
• Madison St at South Street
• 113 Morris Street

Police shared these tips to avoid being a victim of mailbox fishing:

• Deposit outgoing mail into blue collection boxes before the final pick up of the same day of deposit. Check the pickup schedule times posted on the box to ensure your mail will not sit in the box overnight or over the weekend/holiday. If the collection box notes the last collection at 5 p.m. do NOT deposit mail after 5 p.m.
• Collect your mail from your mailbox every day as soon as possible after it is delivered. Do not allow mail to accumulate, even in a locked mailbox.
• If you plan on traveling and will not have access to your daily mail delivery please consider placing your mail on hold at your local office via online or in person.
• If you have concerns about security in your neighborhood, place mail in a collection box in another area, in a secure receptacle at your place of business, or at a Post Office.
• If you see any suspicious substance, such as glue or other sticky product on the mailbox, please contact your local Post Office to report it, and notify Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455.
• Immediately report any suspicious activity at any mail receptacle to your Morristown Police at 973-538-2200 and contact the Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455.
• Monitor and review your financial statements regularly (bank/credit card) to ensure that no suspicious or unauthorized activity has occurred. If you mailed a payment to a creditor and it has not been received please review your account to ensure the check was not altered and payable to another party.
• If customers believe they have been a victim of mail theft, identity theft, fraud or other crimes involving the U.S. Mail, they can report it online 24/7, by visiting the Inspection Service website at www.postalinspectors.uspis.gov. (Select “contact us” and then “file a complaint.”) Customers can also call our national 24/7 hotline at 877-876-2455 and select option 2. Residents can also make these reports to the Morristown Police as the information will be forwarded to the Postal Inspectors.

Image via Carl Baldwin for Patch