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Mail/Identity Theft

A Growing Problem In Montclair

(Please note: We have received a number of inquiries from people across the country asking for help with mail theft problems. The MSIC is focused on mail theft in our greater Montclair area in Oakland, California, only. We regret we are unable to help those outside our area directly. The information we have gathered here, however, may be useful to those outside our area.)

Mail/indentity theft is a serious and growing problem throughout the Bay Area, and is expected to get worse. Many residents don’t report mail theft to the USPS for such reasons as:

• they don’t know how
• they got no feedback/outcome from earlier reports
• they are not sure what’s missing if anything
• they are not sure what all is involved; they are not sure it’s worth the trouble.

Stolen mail is often a thief’s first step into an even worse crime, identity theft, which is the fastest growing crime in the US today andone that can take its victims hundreds of ugly hours researching damages, resolving billing disputes and restoring credit ratings.

The MSIC believes neighborhood awareness and personal precautions can combine to make mail theft a crime of Montclair’s past.

Click on any of the topics to the left to learn more about this important subject. They can help your make an informed decision about protecting yourself from mail theft.

The MSIC Mail Theft Team wants to know about each and every incidence of mail theft that occurs in our neighborhood. Follow the Reporting Procedures and then, because follow-through by the USPS and Oakland Police has been spotty due to limited resources, report the details on our Report Mail Theft Form. This will help us ensure that mail theft and identity theft crimes receive appropriate recognition along with violent crime in Oakland.

The MSIC does not share any personal information without your permission. We will use data supplied to help the USPS and the OPD track trends and patterns of thefts.