Local mail theft incidents down but problem has not gone away

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Upper Las Flores Mesa Drive couple was the victim of mail theft late last month. Local officials have encouraged residents to purchase locked mailboxes.

By Stephen Dorman/Special to The Malibu Times

While the rash of mailbox thefts that plagued Malibu in March and April have subsided in recent months, the crimes are still occurring at a lesser rate. Sheriff’s Department officials say it remains vital that residents continue to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from becoming a victim of postal crime.

Upper Las Flores Mesa Drive residents Sally and Ernie Farhat become the latest victims of the ongoing problem late last month when they said mail was stolen from their residence while Ernie Farhat was at work. A neighbor found the mail three days later at a separate property he owns located near Latigo Shores, approximately five miles away from the Farhat’s home.

In the span of three days, the alleged thieves had reportedly written blank checks issued by a credit card company, one of which was written for $6,500. They also reportedly used Farhat’s name to apply online for a number of gift cards.

Farhat immediately contacted the Sheriff’s Department and the credit card company to report the incident.

“This is not a group of children running around the neighborhood,” Farhat said. “It’s an organized group of crooks that are terrorizing Malibu.”

After filing the report, Farhat was notified by investigators that they had tracked down several receipts for the illegal transactions. Two of the recipients had addresses in Oxnard, one in Ventura and another was located in Culver City.

Calls to Detective Frank Bausmith, who is currently heading the investigation, were not immediately returned.

In March and April, at least 17 local mail thefts were reported. Lt. Randall Dickey of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said most of the crimes were committed on major streets where perpetrators could blend in with the normal flow of traffic without being looked upon as being questionable. Following the string of incidents, the Malibu post office and the Sheriff’s Department began to encourage residents to obtain locked mailboxes and to report any suspicious activities.

“We’ve been spreading the word and things have gotten better,” said Aline Conrad, a customer service supervisor at the Malibu post office. “People have become more aware but we continue to encourage them to get the security locks.”

Conrad added that things were “pretty bad in March and April,” but said she hadn’t received any calls regarding theft since the end of June, a statement Dickey concurred with.

One potential reason for the decline could have been the apprehension of a man in Culver City on April 17 who allegedly had in his possession check stubs that belonged to a Malibu resident.

When factoring in that the United States Postal Service handles more than 668 million pieces of mail per day, the chance of becoming a victim of theft are actually very minimal. Last year the USPS reported the arrest of approximately 6,000 theft suspects, with the areas of Tucson and Phoenix, Ariz., and portions of California and Texas being the hardest hit.

Nevertheless, with identity theft increasing at an alarming rate-last year more than 9.9 million Americans were victims at a cost of nearly $5 billion-the post office and law enforcement agencies continue to ask residents to take all the steps necessary to protect themselves from becoming a potential target. That includes secured mailboxes and notifying the post office if one plans on leaving a residence for any extended period of time. Mail buildup often serves as an easy target for thieves.

“It’s everybody’s responsibility,” Conrad said. “If you’re going to be gone, let us know and we’ll hold your mail for you until you return.”