Postal Offenses Protect Yourself Theft of or possession of stolen mail: 12) Attend the Community Oriented The illegal taking of mail from postal custody or Policing and Problem Solving Program from the mail receptacle of a postal customer, by Against Mail meeting in your District. Call 625-7000 or a non-postal person, or the receipt or possession 625-6700 for more information. of mail known to have been stolen. Fraud and Theft 13) Be observant of activities on your Theft of mail from rural mailboxes street, including those near your letter A popular target of thieves, these mailboxes are carrier, his or her postal vehicle, residential not always visible to the homeowners and are mailboxes and collection . often clustered together by the side of the road. Often thieves steal outgoing mail left by residents 14) IMMEDIATELY report any suspicious in their boxes for pickup by postal letter carriers. persons or activity by calling 9-1-1 while Such mail sometimes contains checks used to suspects are still present. Remember, do pay household bills, and these checks contain not jeopardize your safety, but BE A GOOD bank account and other personal information that WITNESS! can be misused in various ways, including check forgery scams. Sometimes, the thieves discard 15) The Postal Service pays rewards for mail they open but do not want by the side of the information leading to the arrest and road. conviction of mail thieves, Report suspect or crime information to Postal Inspectors, Theft of mail from apartment house mailboxes 24-hours a day, at 415-778-5800. Here, many mailboxes are grouped together. Anyone found going through more than one 16) READ IT, then SHRED IT! should be considered suspect. Destroy anything with your name, address or other identifying information on it before Possession of stolen mail discarding, especially credit card and home Possession of mail addressed to others may have loan applications. Junk mail to you is a been stolen. Be alert for significant quantities of City of Oakley gold mine to a thief. They often use those such mail, especially mail with checks payable to discarded applications to open fraudulent others and credit cards in the names of others. Police Department credit accounts in names of unsuspecting victims. Fraudulent credit card applications To report a crime, call: Con artists sometimes apply through the mail for Oakley P.D. Dispatch credit cards in the names of unsuspecting victims (925) 625-8060 or using fictitious names. Be alert for applications

in a number of different names. Administrative offices: Oakley Police Department: (925) 625-8855

EMERGENCIES ONLY Dial 9-1-1 5) Get together with neighbors and the Postal the following suggestions when writing checks Service and arrange for the installation of locked to pay your bills: Tips to Prevent Theft group mailboxes for neighborhood delivery. a) Write out in full the payee and memo from These group mailboxes are known as portions. Fill up the entire lines with letters or Neighborhood Delivery & Collection Box Units a squiggly line. Residential Mailboxes (NDCBU). With an NDCBU mailbox, each b) Use thick, dark ink (red ink is best ) to and address has an individual locked unit for delivery write your checks. Opt for roller-ball pens. and collection. (Note: A minimum of seven Avoid felt-tip ones. Collection Boxes neighbors is needed to sign a petition requesting c) Purchase checks through institutions that a NDCBU.) use tamper-resistant paper and ink. d) Never send cash or coins through the 6) Purchase a mail. Always send a check or money order locked mailbox instead. or convert your unlocked box to 10) Promptly report non-receipt of expected a lockable type. credit cards, checks and other valuable mail to (Look in the the senders. telephone directory yellow 11) Immediately notify the and pages under mailers if you change your address. If you are "Mail Boxes" for going on vacation, notify the post office, or 1) DO NOT leave outgoing mail in your some have a trusted friend or neighbor pick up your unlocked mailbox. informational leads.) On your locked box, make mail promptly after delivery. sure the mail slot is large enough and safe 2) DO deposit mail in a blue collection box enough for the letter carrier to insert your mail. or inside at your local post office. Use a (Note: The mail carrier cannot pick up mail from collection box that is NOT FULL! this type of unit.)

3) Make sure your mailbox is 7) Arrange to have in good condition. Mailboxes your mail delivered to in poor condition often expose a for a mail to theft and bad weather. small fee. Your local can advise you on current postal 8) Consider having regulations and steps you can regular income checks take to improve the condition deposited of your mailbox. electronically right into your bank account via 4) Promptly pick up your "Incoming" mail Direct Deposit. It's once it is delivered to your mailbox. easy, and in most cases, it's free! Contact your bank for details. 9) To avoid fraudulent use of your checking account in the event your mail is stolen (from your mailbox, from a blue collection box, from a postal vehicle or from your letter carrier), utilize