A River Oaks woman is pointing fingers at the U.S. Postal Service after she says two of her debit cards went missing in a span of several weeks.
“My debit card organically expired after several years, and they told me they were going to send me a new one,” said Heather Taylor.
Taylor said she called Bank of America to report the first card never arrived.
“I said I never got the first card. So they canceled it and sent me a new card,” Taylor said.
That second card never arrived either, but Taylor said it was activated without her knowledge.
“I immediately blamed the bank. Right? That’s what you normally do,” she said. “I had no idea that I should have to doubt our federal post office system.”
Taylor claims a Bank of America manager told her that this wasn’t the first time something like this was happening.
“Bank of America informed me that this happens six times a week and he pointed across the street at the post office on West Grey,” Taylor said.
Taylor told KPRC 2 she posted about the issue to her NextDoor App and quickly realized she wasn’t alone.
One woman wrote, “This happened to me too.”
Another said, “I filed a report with USPS due to theft of a replacement AMEX and a money order.”
Taylor said she also has USPS Informed Delivery which shows you photos of your mail before it arrives but never got a notification that the cards were scheduled to be delivered.
KPRC reached out to the U.S. Postal Service about the issue. They said:
“An image of the mail is captured at the processing center before it arrives to the Post Office. Visit Informed Delivery - Mail & Package Notifications | USPS for more information.
In a separate statement, they added:
“Every day, the US Postal Service safely delivers mail to more than 150 million addresses; mail that includes checks, money orders, credit cards and merchandise. While the U.S. Mail remains one of the most secure means to transmit such items, unfortunately, these items are also attractive to thieves.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) cannot confirm the incident referenced in your inquiry. Postal Inspectors rely on the reports by customers to identify any items taken from the mail. If you are a victim of mail theft, you should report it to your local police AND to the Postal Inspection Service by calling our hotline at 877-876-2455 or visiting our website at www.USPIS.gov/report.
In reference to your inquiry about the number of times this has happened, as a federal law enforcement agency with nationwide jurisdiction, our statistics are managed at the headquarters level. For more information about specific statistics on this topic, I suggest submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. More information can be found here: https://www.uspis.gov/terms-of-service/#freedom-of-information-act.
Every mailbox, from a neighborhood mailbox to a blue USPS collection box, has strong security measures in place to protect the contents. However, thieves will use a variety of methods and tools to attempt to bypass these security measures. Regardless of the method used, mail theft most often occurs in the overnight hours when there are fewer people around to witness it.
While mail theft does occur, there are steps postal customers can take to minimize becoming a victim. Don’t let incoming mail sit in your mailbox. Postal Inspectors recommend checking your mailbox every day and removing your mail as promptly as possible. Customers can deposit their outgoing mail into the mail slot inside the lobby of their local post office.
Mail theft is an opportunistic crime. The longer your mail sits in any mailbox, the more susceptible it is to theft.
For more information about mail theft prevention, please visit our website, www.USPIS.gov. If you are a witness to mail theft or have knowledge of mail theft related activity, Postal Inspectors ask that you provide your tips by calling our hotline or visiting our website.
Mail theft is a state and federal crime punishable by up to five years prison and substantial fines.”