Dollars and Sense:

Locking Mailbox Helps Prevent Identity Theft

By David Uffington

It used to be that thieves would cruise for mail to steal only at certain times of the year -- holidays and when tax refund checks were expected.

Now it's all year long that mail in unsecured mailboxes is at risk.

What do thieves want from your mailbox? Here's a brief list: pre-approved credit applications with your name already imprinted, holiday and birthday checks and cash (greeting-card envelopes are easily identifiable), credit-card statements, tax statements and 1099 Forms, your annual Social Security statement or monthly check, paychecks and new bank checks.

If you don't have a secured mailbox (such as the "gang"-type in apartment complexes), you might want to consider buying and installing a locking mailbox. Locking mailboxes have a slot for the mail carrier to drop the mail, which can't be retrieved until you open the box with a key.

Make sure the type you buy is approved by the Postmaster General. Learn about the height and size requirements.

If you live in a development with association rules that dictate what your mailbox must look like, investigate the "safe within a mailbox" type. Your mail is secure in a lockable box inside your mailbox but still meets association rules for appearance. Ask at your post office whether this type is acceptable. The mail carrier has to make two separate movements: shut the lockable box and close the mailbox door. Another style of "safe within a mailbox" has a small slot for mail to be inserted, but there's no room for packages.

Here are some more tips:

• Look for a mailbox that you can install yourself, to save money.
• If you're on a busy road, look for a mailbox with the lock in the back.
• If you receive a lot of packages and books, be sure the mailbox you buy is large enough to hold them all.
• If installing a locking mailbox is out of the question, consider renting a box at the post office.

Locking mailboxes aren't cheap, and you can spend a bundle on a fancy one (you can even find one with a keypad instead of a key), but the price of a locking mailbox can save you countless hours of grief if thieves steal your information and your identity.

David Uffington regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Write to him in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com. (c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.