Stolen Mail In Greektown Raises Identity Theft Concerns

Residents of a Greektown condo building feel worried that stolen mail could lead to identity theft.

Thieves Steal Mail, Leave Packages Behind

A robbery at a Greektown condo building last week has left residents concerned. The masked thieves arrived in a U-Haul truck and raided the condo building’s mail room, and the entire operation took less than two minutes.

Strangely, the thieves only stole the mail and left Amazon packages behind. Resident Jeremy Cabral theorizes that the thieves took W-2 forms containing confidential information such as names, social security numbers, and salaries. These could make them easy targets for identity theft.

Cabral thinks the thieves gained access to the condo building and mailboxes through an arrow postal key. The thieves could have stolen the key from a letter carrier.

Police Investigation Underway

According to Chicago police, an investigation is currently underway. The Postal Inspection Service has contacted the condo building about the stolen mail. And the National President of the Postal Police Officer’s Association, Frank Albergo, basically confirmed Cabral’s assumption.

“Carriers are getting robbed, and those arrow keys are being stolen,” Albergo said. “Those keys give access to mail to buildings in a given zip code. The inspection service is doing very little about it — it needs to be stopped.”

As a way to discourage similar incidents, Albergo calls for heavier penalties for mail theft. He also believes that arrow keys are a thing of the past and that the postal service should upgrade to newer technology.

Arrow keys have been around since the 1950s, and it is easy for thieves to steal or forge them.

Identity Theft a Rising Concern

Identity theft is certainly a significant problem in the United States. In 2021 alone, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 1.4 million identity theft complaints. And stolen mail is only one way these thieves get ahold of consumer identities.

Homeowners associations should do their part in helping secure mailboxes. Posting security guards and installing surveillance cameras are good ways to start.