Meng, Joined By U.S. Postal Inspection Service and NYPD’s 104th Precinct, Provide Tips on Preventing Mail Theft as the Stealing of Mail Continues to Spike Across Queens-NYC
QUEENS, NY – With the surge in mail theft continuing to increase in Queens and throughout New York City, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and NYPD’s 104th Precinct, today advised the public on how they can safeguard their mail.
This guidance includes simple and important tips that all New Yorkers can follow to help prevent their mail from being stolen. Examples from the Postal Inspection Service can be viewed here and here, and those from the NYPD can be viewed here and here.
For more than a year, Meng has received many complaints from constituents who have been victims of mail theft which has often resulted in their important documents, checks, medication and credit card information being stolen. In some cases, constituents have lost thousands of dollars from these stolen checks due to check washing or they’ve been negatively impacted by other financial fraud.
The tips were provided in front of the U.S. Post Office in Maspeth, Queens (within the confines of the 104th), near the site of where a major arrest was recently made in connection with mail theft. In late June, postal inspectors busted two people approximately a mile away on 60th Road and Mount Olivet Crescent for allegedly stealing mail in the area.
Joining Meng to provide the tips were John Del Giudice, the Assistant Inspector in Charge for the New York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Deputy Inspector Kevin Coleman, the Commanding Officer of the NYPD’s 104th Precinct in Queens. The Postal Inspection Service, which consists of postal inspectors, is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service.
“The increase in mail theft is despicable and unconscionable, and we must stop the thieves who prey upon those in Queens and throughout New York,” said Congresswoman Meng. “I thank the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and NYPD for working to combat the problem, and as they continue to address it, I encourage local residents to follow their suggestions so that everybody in our borough and city can protect themselves from becoming a victim of this crime. Everybody deserves to be able to safely send and receive their mail, and this issue will remain a top priority of mine.”
“The recent arrests underscore the power of our partnerships in the fight against mail theft in Queens,” said Inspector in Charge of the New York Division Daniel B. Brubaker. “Mail thieves prey upon the people in their community, their neighbors, to enrich themselves with their victim’s money. Postal Inspector’s mission is to protect the mail and members of the public, our customers, from becoming victims of mail theft and fraud. We have carried out this mission for almost 250 years, and along with our community partners will continue to pursue mail thieves well into the future.”
In Congress, Meng has urged the Postal Service over the past year to crack down on mail theft including from green relay boxes. She has sent letters to the agency and is pushing legislation to help officials better address the problem. See attached press release about the bill.
Several years ago, the Postal Service retrofitted blue collection boxes in Queens with mail slots after Meng urged the agency to do so. The Congresswoman made the request in 2018 to combat the problem of ‘mail fishing’ in the borough which is when criminals place string connected to a sticky material into the collection boxes, and ‘fish’ out the envelopes. The narrower slots make it more difficult for thieves to steal the mail that is inside.