You’re not the only one screening your mail

We all get too much mail these days, both in electronic and in paper form. If you’re anything like me, you’ve taken to sorting through it quickly and making pretty much instant keep and toss piles just judging by envelope shape. Those long, skinny envelopes are probably bills. The boxy ones are cards. And so on. Well guess what? Identity thieves do the same thing. And they may be going through your mail too.

The thieves are looking for your bills, but not because they want to pay them for you. They know that they contain account numbers that can be very valuable to them. Other things they look for are bank and credit card statements, unsolicited credit card offers, checks, pay stubs and any communication from the government. (It may have a Social Security number on it.)

Of course, you don’t invite identity thieves to look through your mailbox. They just seize the opportunity whenever it presents itself. If they can’t find mail in your mailbox, they may also check the trash can and the recycling bin. If you’d rather keep prying eyes off of your post box, here are some things that can help:

*Take important mail (i.e. any with sensitive information) to a locked mailbox to send it out. The post office is best since you are cutting out the middlemen. That’s less people to lose or drop things.
*Get your mail as soon as you can. Don’t let it languish lonely in the mailbox and give thieves a “red flag” that it’s arrived.
*Have someone you trust pick up your mail when you’re out of town or ask the post office to place a hold on it.
*Switch to e-statements for your bills and have your paper statements stopped.
*Report any mailbox tampering to your local post office as soon as you notice it.
*Shred any documents even remotely personal in nature before you throw them out or recycle them.

If you frequently have problems getting your mail promptly because you work long hours, consider having the address of the most important correspondence changed to that of your business. That may give you some peace of mind as you toil into the night knowing your information is safe on your desk. Of course, check with the boss first to make sure this is okay.

Good news is all of these things will help. Bad news is it still may not be enough. Although the U.S. Postal Service is fairly reliable, we’ve all had things lost, stolen, misdirected or shredded at some point, so we know there are no 100% guarantees that every piece of mail will reach its destination without being intercepted. Even with diligent shredding, you really have no idea where some of your information may end up.

That’s where an identity theft protection plan comes in. It can give you that extra ounce of security. Follow the tips above and get a plan, and some thieves will be sorely disappointed. They may even have to get real jobs, hopefully not as postal workers.