An Important Warning! No, REALLY!!

What a world we live in!  Dishonest people exist at all levels of society, from the ultra wealthy who make decisions based on the health of their corporation without concern for the welfare of the people who work (or used to work) within it, to beggars and pickpockets on the streets.

While it could be said that our present economic woes were caused by the first type of criminal, it trickles down to affect the actions and attitudes of the latter, who as they become more desperate, take bolder actions to ply their infamous trade.

I’ve now become one of the victims.

A minor attack, all things considered but one real enough for me to want to warn you to take action before you encounter a similar assault.

My mailbox has been pilfered.    

“Oh, big deal!” I hear you scoff, but before you turn away I need to tell you that the ONLY things that were stolen were my monthly bills for my VISA CARD (which is mailed around the 10^th of each month) and my AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD (which is mailed around the 20^th of each month).  I point out the mailing dates because this clearly shows that whoever has been thieving has also been watching and perusing my mail, because they stole contents on two different dates!!

I received all my other monthly bills.  Just the credit card bills were missing.  Suspicious?  You don’t have to be paranoid to think it is.

So yesterday I had a nice little chat with my Postmaster, who told me that mail theft is common, and WORSENS IN A POOR ECONOMY and that they run in waves.  These brash people are looking for anything that might mean money to them – credit card statements, social security checks, unemployment checks – ANYTHING!  They know WHAT you receive in the mail, and they know WHEN you receive it.  She told me she once saw two women in a car with children in the back seat blatantly driving from one mailbox to the next, pilfering!  (nice lesson to teach your kids – the next generation of jailbirds!)  Yes, she phoned the police but they arrived too late to catch the thieves.  She also pointed out that that mail theft is only going to get worse as jobs continue to be scarce!

And yes, I rented a P.O. Box yesterday after my conversation with the Postmaster, and have now directed all my financial-type mail to the box. 

Sad world, isn’t it, that these people are so selfish and uncaring they take money from the elderly and from people who are just as desperate as they are.  Talk about dog-eat-dog.  It’s like Lily Tomlin once said,  “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” 

  

The point is that I encourage all of you to give business to your local Post Office and protect yourself!  A friend of mine who suffered Identity Theft with her credit card told me it took over two YEARS for her life to get back to normal, and that this was a relatively SHORT amount of time! 

So, go buy a Post Office Box.

Or a really BIG Doberman Pinscher.