On the recordApril 25, 2023
we do a lot to protect our identity and financial security from scammers and thieves. We guard our PIN numbers and passwords. We shred bills and financial documents. We are on guard for phishing attacks and cyber scams. But there is another, growing threat to our financial safety that many Americans are unaware of. Across the country, we are seeing a surge in armed robberies of letter carriers. In many of the attacks, the robbers steal an ``arrow key.'' That is a master key that unlocks the blue collection boxes you drop your mail into, as well as cluster mailboxes in subdivisions and other multi-unit mailboxes. With an arrow key, a robber can open mailboxes and steal whatever is in there, including packages and prescription medications. And often, they steal checks. This can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, and other serious crimes. Here is how it works: The robbers use the dark web and messaging apps to sell the stolen checks. The cyber criminals who buy the stolen checks then use nail polish remover to wash and rewrite the checks for any amount they choose. A $15 check to your doctor can become a $15,000 check to someone you have never heard of. Listen to these figures from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Between 2018 and 2021, robberies of letter carriers more than tripled, and robberies involving a gun more than quadrupled.…
