My dad sent the kids a card each with some money in them.... foolish him sent cash. Both cards arrived with no cash. One card had been ripped open, and not even attempted to re-seal, the 2nd card arrived a day later riped open and taped back.

What would you do? Confront the mail man? Call the post center?

Holly

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Probably call the post office? Because it could be the mail sorters, not necessarily the mail man. My brother was a mail sorter and ended up stealing a bunch of stuff, also got caught and put in jail. So I wouldn't blame the mail man at first without major proof, alot of people touch your mail besides the mail man.

I've posted this in a couple of different places here at MC but my next door neighbor was just busted for stealing gift cards out of the mail. She works (or worked) in the post office in the city just south of us and is in her 60's. She made the local evening news AND the front page of the big newspaper's Metro section.

This lady has worked for the PO for over 20-30 years I believe. Her husband is an anaesthesiologist and her daughter is a district judge. Her daughter claims that she has just recently been diagnosed with a "bipolar-like disorder"--that makes you steal?! Talk about "oops"...

OP, definitely call your PO and give them the head's up. That's probably where it's happening, and if not, the postmaster can observe mail sorting and see if anything looks suspicious.

I agree I would call the P.O.

I had a problem of our mail lady taking Monday's off (for over a month). I would put my bills in to go out on Sunday night and they never got picked up. This went on week after week. I called and talked with the Head Post Master, my problem was dealt with promptly. I was very pleased with how quickly they took care of things.

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I called the 1-800-ask-USPS number and filed a report, but the girl was pretty snotty. She refused to give me the telephone number to our local station, so I'm going to go down there as well.

I'm just floored at how heartless people can get. Stealing from a little kid???

Holly

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Our local post office is listed in our phone book.
Listed under
United States Government - Post Office


Sorry they took the kids money!

I had to call my local PO about a missing package rencently. The postmaster (or whomever it was that I spoke to) was of no help and was so nonchalant about the whole thing.

And I HATE how hard it is to find the direct phone number to the local PO. What a pain.

(Maybe my neighbor stole my package! Ha! )

EXACTLY, it is very difficult to get the phone number to your local post office. Come on, it's a gov't facility, we should have easy access. I had to call my PO regarding the mailman not forwarding our mail. The PM said "he's old...." WHAT does that have to do with it???

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I hate that too! So I resorted to googling FT Wayne Post Office to find ours.

I don't think you should confront the mailman, and definitely not accuse him/her of stealing. You have no evidence that he/she took anything from the envelopes. Mail tampering is a federal offense punishable by fines and possible prison time and I'd bet your average postal worker takes this very seriously.

I would bring the mail to the post office and file a complaint.

cj/

I am a letter carrier and I agree with cjs 216- bring the mail to your local post office and ask to speak with the postmaster. These matters are taken very seriously. Most of the mail is run through high speed sorting equipment so we do get alot of ripped and damaged mail, especially if it is odd sized or thicker than average. If we notice a piece of mail in the office that is open or ripped or damaged, we give it to a supervisor to seal and stamp with information letting the customer know the piece was damaged and was resealed. If the mail comes from the machines, we do not handle this mail at all til we are on the street delivering it. We are supposed to bring the mail back to the office to be sealed and marked by a supervisor. Sometimes if the damage is on the under side of the letter, the carrier will not even see or notice it while delivering. But I have been in the position of having a customer right in front of me to receive the mail and seeing that it is open or damaged.
I do see not alot but once in a while mail, especially cards, that bears the signs of being tampered with- either ripped to see if cash is exposed, slit open, or full opened. Usually the mail has been processed in a large city, in a large facility. I give these pieces to my supervisor. So I do believe that somewhere in the system there are people who are trying to steal from the mail.
One thing that I fear is that my customer would think that I tampered with the mail. I had one case a couple of years ago that was just like yours- a grandparent sent a card to a child. When I came across it on the street I saw that it appeared to have been opened. I brought it back to be sealed. The next day another card came for the other child in similar condition. I had that sealed. I rang the bell and talked to the customer. Sure enough, she said there had been money in the cards that was missing. She also told me that she knew that I was not responsible for the theft. I can tell you that I and the carriers I know are very concerned with and loyal to the sanctity of the mail. Only once in nearly 20 years did I know of a carrier who stole from the mail. He delivered to an elderly housing complex and would open and discard cards looking for cash. He was investigated, taped, and arrested on his route, thrown to the ground and handcuffed. He was fired immediately, and our union does not defend anyone who steals from the mail.
So I am very sorry and upset by the theft you experienced . The huge majority of us in the postal system would never do that. We know right from wrong, and we support familes with our paychecks and would never jeopardize our jobs. Please don't jump to the conclusion that it was your letter carrier. But please do bring it to management's attention. If you are comfrtable with your carrier, i would discuss it with him or her.

Well, I called the local post office after I finally found the number. Spoke to this guy who told me I needed to call the police and file a report. Does that sound right?

Holly

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Yes and no...

Yes, because a theft has occurred and tampering with mail, I believe is a federal offense.

No, because they don't seem like they are concerned enough about the situation. You should have a regional postmaster that you can call. I had to do that once when we lived in a mobile home park (all the mail boxes were in one cluster--like some apt. complexes) and mail kept getting "lost", packages were removed from the lock boxes and just left on top of the mail station, just in general not being handled appropriately by SOMEONE. I called the regional postmaster/supervisor and filed a complaint and amazingly all the problems resolved themselves within a week.

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Call your local post office. They will be able to tell you how to proceed. I don't know that anything can be done for you because cash was sent, but at least it will be on file in case someone is stealing from the post office.

My parents mail carrier stole my dad's ATM card and then the PIN# too (my dad does not use an ATM card, but the bank sent one anyway). The mail carrier's son was caught on tape using my dad's card and pin#. This mail carrier had been delivering mail to my parents house for many years and he was close to retirement age. I think they found he had other pieces of stolen mail too. I'm not sure whatever happened to him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was in jail.

Sarah.......mom to Jason & Devin

For the last two years my post office has selected what they want to deliver. I confirmed w/ friends & family that DH was to receive at least 8 birthday cards; he received one. My children have not received cards with money enclosed & I've quit having rebates sent to my home because those checks disappear as well.

The company I work for is very small, so I have anything of a financial or personal matter sent to the office. I've also started requesting samples be sent to the house and office. Very interesting that I don't get a lot of stuff at home that comes to the office. I actually had a sample of Always arrive at the house with a completely ripped up box, with the pad stuff back into the box. My guess? The thief (a guy?) didn't want it. Serves him right.

Short of securing a po box at a UPS Store or something, we're stuck with lousy service. I feel your pain.

That is so sad, OP! I find it odd that they would tell you to contact the police. I would have assumed that the postmaster would investigate.

I'm so glad we've never had problems like this. I agree that it would more likely be someone at a sorting facility than your actual carrier.

I just love our carrier. I get a lot of packages, which she always brings to the door, along with a treat for my dog. I think I'd better put together a little gift for her. One "Thank You" each Christmas doesn't seem to be enough. Your post reminded me how much I appreciate her!

I called our post office about a missing package (I got someone else's, and never saw mine), and getting other people's mail, and while the response was lackluster, it did seem to get results. The package which may or may not have been misplaced showed up in my box, as did a notice to not deliver mail addressed to someone who didn't live with us. Writing in the front cover of someone else's magazine, after receiving four others for that person, also seemed to stop that problem. I would keep pushing, as frustrating as it is. I do take a Sharpie to the mail box, so I can make it clear why I shouldn't have received certain pieces of mail, and let the people the mail was for know what happened.

I am sorry to hear this because I too always send money to my neices and nephews for thier birthdays! Now I know to send a check. I know from talking to my mail lady that you should go to the post office and bring the mail and talk to the supervisor.

No, this doesn't seem right. This should be an investigation for the post office to handle, not the local police. Postal problems are federal not local.

I would file a complaint with the main post office for your city since your branch didn't do anything. The fact that they don't take it seriously to me is very telling. Why do they not seem to care that mail theft is going on?

My friend had her season tickets for the Ducks stolen by her mail man! It was proven (he showed up to the game) - he was arrested.

Once when the time changed to "fall back" and it got dark early, my letter carrier did a couple houses on the street then turned the truck around and left. I saw the whole thing. I managed to find the branch number, told the postmaster what I had seen, and he must have been waiting for her when she pulled up...he turned her right back around and she finished delivering the mail - by now it was really dark. Poor girl, she was new. So, some postmasters really do care.

So many times I send gift cards in the mail, and it is obvious where cash really is not. Never thought in a million years that a postal worker would possibly take as their own. I guess I need to rethink the gift cards.


***How would a postal worker even know there is cash in an envelope? Just a hunch?

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There was another article in today's paper about my mail-stealing next door neighbor. Seems she plead guilty but won't do any jail time. The article says that she would scope out mail that she suspected of containing gift cards and would swipe them. It also mentions that they used Target's video surveillance to catch her spending the stolen gift cards.

Since they could only "prove" she stole between $600 and $700 worth of GC's they recommended she be tried as if it were a misdemeanor.

It really chaps my behind to know that people would stoop to such levels.

Well, I filed the report the main number, then called the local post office and let them know about it. Then Thursday, I waited my for mailman, and I brought it up to him. He said he had heard about it (which tells me my report didn't take long to trickle down), and would keep an eye out for anything.

If nothing less. it lets my postman know I'm on the lookout.

Holly

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Forgiveness is love in its most noble form. -Anonymous