While walking his dog through an area of Sylmar, Bruce Rossemberg noticed something strange about a pile of papers scattered in the area he was walking through.
He noticed that there was a large amount of open envelopes and he thought it was garbage. But, after looking more closely, he realized that it was the mail from his neighbors.
“There was a lot of mail from all over the neighborhood,” Rossemberg, who said he would do something about it. "I walked around the neighborhood, like Santa Claus, and I put everyone's mail in their mailboxes."
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A recurring problem in the community
Stolen mail is not a new thing in this neighborhood, where residents say it has become a recurring problem.
"Three times now. Three times we have found open mail," said Liliana Curioca, a resident.
Isabel Velásquez, another affected neighbor, says that they began to notice the problem since back in December. A security camera installed at her house caught a thief stealing her mail.
“We have several videos of them, how they park and how fast they get into houses,” Velásquez said.
Although they have complained to authorities, they allege that they have not received a solution that has left them satisfied.
"We have made several complaints but, so far, nothing has happened," Curioca said.
The only change, the two neighbors shared, are the old community mailboxes for new modern ones, with a key.
“They came to talk to us,” Velásquez said. “They even changed the box. The others were 40-years-old and were not as new as the ones now."
But they say they're not sure that's solved the problem. Residents are concerned about being victims of identity theft.
“That's the scariest thing,” Velásquez said. "Because you work hard to have what little you have and someone comes along and steals your social security and they can do things that damage your credit."
For now, they want to warn other people who have old mailboxes to take precautions.
“[You have to] be vigilant. Be watching what is happening in the neighborhood," Curoica said. "And communicate with the neighbors, so we're all on the same page."
The United States Postal Inspection Service has provided the following statement to NBCLA: "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement, crime prevention, and security arm of the Postal Service. We work to ensure America’s confidence in the U.S. Mail by enforcing more than 200 federal laws in investigations of crimes that may adversely affect postal customers or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail or the postal system. U.S. Postal Inspectors actively investigate any reports of mail theft."
How to protect yourself against mail theft
Having a locked mailbox is one of the best ways to protect your mail. But if your mail is still stolen or your mailbox is stolen, your identity may be in jeopardy.
That's why consumer affairs experts recommend rushing in cases like this, to protect your information and avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
If you have a non-modern mailbox, don't let your mail pile up. Pick it up daily, preferably before dark. That will prevent thieves from taking advantage of the darkness to commit the crime.
On the other hand, consumer affairs experts advise affected people to take immediate action, such as contacting their bank and changing the passwords of their accounts and even social networks.
“It is very important to communicate with their bank accounts and tell them what happened to them,” said Alma Galvan, from the Department of Consumer Protection.
"[You have to] put them on alert and let them know if there are charges that are not yours so they don't take your money or get more information from you."
Police departments ask victims to report these robberies which are considered a federal crime.
