Why You Should Opt for the USPS Retail Counter or Drop Slots on Certain Days/Times
We all have dropped off our outgoing mail at one of those blue USPS drop boxes, however, the USPS is letting customers know that the retail counter might be a better place to drop off packages this holiday season - at least during certain days and times during the week.
People have been dropping off their mail on their way to work at those big blue mailboxes from the United States Postal Service for years now. There are thousands of these mail collection bins all over streets and corners across America. It's much more convenient to drive or walk up to one of these bins and go about your day than having to make a trip to the local post office. But in a press release sent out by a local USPS branch (unknown location), the USPS stated that the retail counter might be a bit safer during some times during the week, and here's why.
Blue USPS Collection Bins V Retail Counter
According to Mass Live, postal officials are warning that groups of criminals all over the United States are coordinating "strategic targeting" of Post Office collection bins. The reason is simple, some of your most private information is inside the mail you drop off at these boxes. So these criminals can get ahold of your mail in these bins to seal identities or checks, especially at specific times and on particular days.
Mass Live reports that the USPS said in a release:
“The biggest variable enticing these criminals to steal are customers depositing mail into blue collection boxes after the last collection of the day or during Sundays and federal holidays. If customers simply used retail service or inside wall drop slots to send their U.S. Mail, instead of depositing it to sit outside overnight or through the weekend, blue collection boxes would not be as enticing after business hours to mail thieves for identity theft and check-washing schemes,”
What Can You Do Instead?
If you don't want to risk your mail getting into the hands of a criminal, the USPS says that the most secure way to send mail is through your local Post Office retail counter, or you can use the collection slots that deposit mail directly into the Post Office. However, if you're in a hurry and choose to drop your mail off at one of the blue collection boxes, this is what the USPS recommends you do:
If using the Postal Service’s outside blue collection boxes, never deposit mail after the last dispatch time. Each box has dispatch times printed on a label, and it will point you to the location for the latest pickup time in your area. Avoid depositing mail during the night, Sundays, and federal holidays.
If you witness someone going into a collection box or mail delivery receptacle during non-postal work hours, contact your local police, and notify postal inspectors at 877-876-2455. To incentivize people to do that and help curb mail theft, the USPS is offering rewards of up to $10,000 to those whose tips help catch these criminals.
(HT- Mass Live)
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