Has Credit Cards Been Stolen in USPS Mail and How to Prevent It

Credit card theft in the mail is a real concern, but it's not as common as you might think. According to the USPS Office of the Inspector General, a total of 1,142 reports of credit card theft were made in 2020.

Mail theft is often linked to identity theft, which can have serious consequences for your financial security. In 2019, the USPS Office of the Inspector General reported that identity theft was the most common type of mail theft, accounting for 71% of all cases.

To put this into perspective, the average cost of identity theft is around $1,300 per victim. This can add up quickly, especially if you have multiple credit cards or other sensitive information stolen.

Related reading: Protecting Credit Cards from Identity Theft

Mail carriers have been caught stealing credit cards from customers on their routes. Samantha Zany-Ezandra Johnson, 35, pleaded no contest to dozens of felony charges for stealing credit cards, gift cards, checks, and other mail from customers on her route.

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Police found large volumes of mail and credit cards belonging to people along her Postal Service route, including $10,657 in cash at her home.

Johnson's girlfriend, Alexcia Rosa Monee Higgs, 27, was also charged with theft and fraud.

Five former USPS employees, including Davey Hines, Billye Harris, Terrance Scales, Stephon Johnson, Loreal Ross, and Brittnay Shepard, were charged with stealing credit cards from mail.

Thieves are using a USPS feature called "informed delivery" to track credit cards in the mail and steal them before they reach their owners. This service allows homeowners to track packages or other mail, but in this case, it's being used to track credit cards.

In one case, a woman discovered that someone had ordered a new credit card in her name and had tried to charge $3,407 at Sam's Club.

The postal inspector was able to intercept other cards that had been ordered by thieves and scheduled to go to homes through informed delivery.

To protect yourself, you can sign up for informed delivery, a free service that allows you to track your mail.

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Here are some cases of USPS mail theft:

A postal worker with 16 years of service was accused of stealing a customer's credit card and has now pleaded guilty in Florida.

The U.S. Postal Service has a problem with credit card theft, with several cases reported in recent years. In one case, a mail carrier was accused of stealing credit cards, gift cards, checks, and other mail from customers on her route.

A federal investigation, called Operation Cash on Delivery, resulted in charges against five former USPS employees, including five individuals who were charged with stealing credit cards from mail.

Thieves are using a feature from the US Postal Service called "informed delivery" to track credit cards in the mail. This service allows homeowners to track their mail, including credit cards, but it also allows thieves to track the delivery of credit cards.

A mail carrier pleaded no contest to dozens of felony charges accusing her of stealing credit cards, gift cards, checks, and other mail from customers on her route and spending thousands of dollars fraudulently.

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Here are some cases of USPS employees involved in credit card theft:

The majority of postal employees are hard-working public servants dedicated to moving mail to its proper destination, but a few cases of credit card theft have made headlines in recent years.

Consequences of stolen mail can be severe, and it's not just about losing a few dollars. With stolen PII, identity thieves can apply for credit cards, take out loans, file taxes, or obtain medical services in your name.

Stolen mail can contain sensitive documents like credit card bills, pre-approved credit card offers, bank statements, tax documents, and government correspondence.

Identity thieves might commit identity theft themselves, or they might sell the stolen data to other identity thieves on the black market.

The consequences of identity theft can be long-lasting and costly, so it's essential to take precautions to protect your mail and personal information.