Last week we were victims of mail theft. We live on Upper Las Flores Mesa Drive. Part of our missing mail was discarded near Latigo Shores and was returned to us by a friend. We have read similar reports in your newspaper about mail theft. We never thought that we would become the newest victims-and the news. Cash advance blank checks from our credit card account were taken and forged. One of the checks was written for more than $6,500 to a legitimate company that issues prepaid credit cards. The thieves used the Internet to place orders for prepaid gift cards, then sent the forged checks via overnight mail to the gift card company.
My husband replaced our beautiful copper mailbox with a locked box that is functional but ugly. We suggest that you warn your neighbors to be on the lookout for people tampering with mailboxes and implement a neighbor watch program. Mail theft is a serious crime and is punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. We need to be more aware of who comes into our neighborhood, what they are doing, who they are seeing. In short, talk to your neighbors, be pro-active. Let’s stop mail crime in Malibu
Sally and Ernie Farhat