Some postal customers in Lake Highlands have reported a rather sticky situation after realizing that the big blue collection boxes outside of the post office on Northwest Highway and Ferndale Road had been targeted by thieves.
"I was able to run my fingers inside and it felt almost like a honey material, very sticky," said Steve Hedrick.
Hedrick, who lives nearby, said he uses the collection boxes once or twice nearly every week out of convenience. But recently when he noticed he wasn't hearing his mail drop to the bottom of the box, he reached inside.
"Mine was stuck. About a third of the envelope was sticking out," said Hedrick.
He said it was stuck near the top along with several others. When he went inside to report it, he was told it’s a problem they’ve seen at several area post offices.
"We have received reports that indicate the blue collection boxes at Lake Highlands Station Post Office may have been attacked by thieves in an act we call 'fishing,'" said postal inspector Amanda McMurrey.
To make sure your information stays safe, McMurrey suggests "you deposit your mail in the blue collection box before the last-posted collection time on the box and on a day it is picked up."
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She said for most that's 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., and most collection boxes aren't picked up on Sundays or federal holidays.
To mail after hours, she recommends using a lobby drop inside a post office for increased safety.
Though it takes a few extra minutes to park, it's what Hedrick said he'll do from now on.
"You've got valuables in there. You've got checks. You've got important papers," said Hedrick.
USPS reminds it can't accept reports from third parties like a local law enforcement agency. So if you believe your mail has been stolen, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by calling 877-876-2455 or online at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.
