Collin County

Prosper Family Warns Against Mail Thieves

A Collin County couple has a warning they want everyone to hear.

Donny Holman works from home in Prosper.

About three weeks ago, he says he remembers hearing a car pull up outside which he’d later learn may have been driven by thieves stealing his identity.

“I actually remember hearing it stop,” Holman said. “I walked out like 30 seconds later.”

Surveillance video revealed what Holman missed.

On September 21, a sports car is seen driving past their home, stopping for seconds at the mailbox then driving off.

Three days later, a different car is seen stopping at the mailbox again.

Both times, Holman says the mail had just been delivered.

“I’ve heard and seen a lot of things with criminals. I was not aware that they were gutsy enough to try to beat you to your own mailbox,” he said.

Holman says he knew his identity was stolen in September when credit and debit cards he didn’t apply for started showing up in the mail. One was a credit card with an $11,000 limit.

"It’s just a scary feeling. Mail theft is something I don't think a lot of people think of,” said Holman’s wife Mandy.

Mail theft is a federal crime.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says it arrests about 10,000 people on average each year, many for mail theft. It responds to about 27,000 fraud complaints, including identity theft.

The Holmans say they've filed a complaint, have frozen their credit but remain on alert and encourage neighbors to do the same.

“These people are by far just extremely slimy. There’s no other word to use,” Donny Holman said. 

The punishment for mail theft can be up to five years in prison for each piece stolen.

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