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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 12:17 p.m., Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Mail theft up 140 percent

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Theft of mail from residential mailboxes and post-office boxes increased 140 percent last year over the previous year, Postal Service investigators said today.

The increase coincides with a rise in identity theft in the Islands, they said.

The Postal Service logged 680 mail-theft complaints in Hawai'i from Oct. 1, 2001, to Sept. 30, 2002, and 1,638 complaints from Oct. 1, 2002 to Sept. 30, 2003, said Postal Inspector Byron Dare.

Reported losses in the first year totaled $7.79 million, but the figure dropped to $646,579 the next year despite the increase in complaints, Dare said.

Lt. Pat Tomasu, head of the Honolulu Police Department’s Financial Fraud Unit, said police receive 12 to 30 complaints a day of fraudulent use of credit cards, identity theft or forgery. Mail theft is the primary source of personal information used for identify theft, such as date of birth and Social Security numbers, she said.

"They’re stealing mail right out of mailboxes with the flag up," Tomasu said. "We’ve also had reports of people following mail trucks in cars and taking mail after it has been delivered."

Dare said investigators are dealing with large, organized and sophisticated rings that could include 30 to 40 people.

Dare said stolen blank checks can be sold to other criminals for $2 a check, and that credit cards go for $100 each. Credit-card convenience checks command the highest prices, Dare said.

During the tax-filing season, mail thieves will target W-2 or 1099 forms or tax booklets, he said.

Curbing the surge in mail theft is difficult, Dare said. "We can catch the little guy, but there’s no real hammer or deterrent."

For example: If police catch someone stealing mail, the charge is fourth-degree theft, a petty misdemeanor. A conviction usually results in a fine.