LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Thieves targeting blue post office mailboxes is something that the Office of the United States Attorney Eastern District of Arkansas explained has been on the rise in Central Arkansas for the past year.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Benecia Moore, said that those incidents especially happen after hours.
“On weekends, under the cover of night, and steal all the mail that you and I placed in there,” Moore added.
The attorney’s office said that the problem may be more widespread than you would think.
“These thieves have left thousands of victims in our communities, stealing your checks, your bill payments, and your birthday cards to commit fraud and steal money,” said Moore.
Though these criminals can be tough to find— on Wednesday multiple agencies revealed that they arrested and charged four people.
“Just this past weekend, Little Rock Police, the Arkansas State Police, along with the US Secret Service and the US Postal Service conducted an operation to surveil numerous blue boxes within central Arkansas,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross.
Law enforcement agencies plan to continue working together to catch these thieves.
“If you steal United States mail, you should expect to go to the United States Courthouse. Your crimes are federal crimes, and we're coming for you,” Ross explained.
As they continue working to put a stop to this, agencies are asking Arkansans to keep some tips in mind so they won’t fall victim.
“First, pick up your residential and business mail daily, be it at your house or your business, pick it up daily after it's delivered,” said USPS Inspector Thomas Noyes. “And as the US Attorney mentioned, safeguard your mail by depositing it inside the post office.”