Athabasca RCMP are asking local night owls to keep one eye on mailboxes in their neighbourhoods.
A spate of mail thefts in town throughout November has Cst. Luke Lichty concerned about potential identity theft. Residents have reported cheques, bills and bank statements missing from their mail.
“If you see someone loitering around a mailbox, let us know,” said Lichty. “We can’t be everywhere at once, but if someone sees something, especially in the middle of the night, give us a call.”
Some of the stolen cheques have been cashed by other parties, and Lichty said stolen bank statements may be used for everything from obtaining credit under a false name to purchasing a cellphone on a payment plan.
“And when they fail to pay, (companies) go after the other person for it,” he said.
Lichty said residents who are missing mail or concerned about identity theft should call Equifax and Trans Union, the two major credit check companies in Canada, to have a flag put on their file.
“A flag on your file means if someone tries to apply for something in your name, there’s a note to look closer at this person.”
Athabasca RCMP are also asking anyone missing mail to give a statement at the detachment.
“At this point, they’re still coming in,” said Lichty of the missing mail complaints. “We’ve only received a few, but the ones we’ve received say they’re talking to their neighbours, and the neighbours are all missing similar items.
“I can’t even begin to estimate how many people are missing bills and haven’t realized something is wrong yet.”
Lichty said RCMP are uncertain how the mail is being accessed. He confirmed thefts seem to be restricted to one neighbourhood so far, but police are not saying which one.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre suggests, in addition the steps outlined by Athabasca RCMP, that anyone who suspects they are the victim of identity theft keep a detailed log of dates, persons spoken with and exactly what was said.
The consequences of identity theft are familiar to Lichty, who was victimized before he joined the RCMP.
“They took my mail, and they took a whole bunch of things out in my name,” he said.
Anyone with information about this crime or any others should call Athabasca RCMP at 780-675-4252 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. For more information on identity theft, contact the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
