Mailbox thieves repeatedly hit a business park in NW Harris County

The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating a series of thefts from a mailbox in northwest Harris County.

The most recent robbery believed to have taken place at the business park letterbox at 17639 Telge Road was caught on camera.

“In surveillance, people [two] park in our disabled parking lot in front of our business. The man comes out of our passenger side, he goes to the mailbox, he comes back, he gets in the car and he has mail in his hand,” said business owner Kimberly Caldwell.

Caldwell said thieves had been banging on the mailbox outside his K&S Contracting business for about a month.

“We had a check stolen and brought to our bank and they tried to cash it, but the fraud department caught it,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell says other companies haven’t been so lucky.

“One of the business owners actually found some checks for sale on the ‘dark web’, so they’re taking the highest bidders to buy our checks and I guess they’re trying to cash them. And I think that he said they were trying to sell, it says USPS keys, so I guess they are trying to sell the keys that open the boxes,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell filed a report with the US Postal Inspection Service.

In a statement, they said:

“Inspectors are aware of this incident and are investigating it. These investigations, however, are taking time. As this is an active investigation, the USPIS cannot provide additional information.

Although US mail remains one of the most secure ways to transmit information, it also contains elements that are attractive to thieves. Mail theft can and does happen, but postal customers can take certain steps to minimize the risk of falling victim to it. Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit overnight in your mailbox or in a collection box. Postal inspectors recommend checking your mailbox daily and removing your mail as soon as possible. Customers can drop off their outgoing mail in post office lobbies or in a blue USPS collection box. If you place your outgoing mail in a blue USPS collection box, be sure to do so BEFORE the latest collection time, which is posted on the box. The longer your mail sits in a mailbox, the more likely it is to be stolen.

Postal inspectors rely on customers to report any items removed from the mail. It is very important that customers report mail theft directly to the USPIS by calling 877-876-2455 or visiting our website at www.uspis.gov.