By Taiwo Akinlami, Founder, LawGuard360® LLC

There are a few things I’ve made a rule of thumb, shaped by my commitment to Family Strengthening, Child Safeguarding, and Parenting Education. I tend to evaluate most issues first through the lens of their impact on families.

That’s why, when it comes to mailing checks or cash, I treat the U.S. mail as a last resort. On the rare occasions when I must send them, I always use registered mail that I can track, often with insurance. I make it a point to pick up our mail regularly, never allowing it to sit overnight in the box.

I’ve also signed up for USPS Informed Delivery, which sends me daily email alerts showing what mail is scheduled to arrive. These are not just habits, they are proactive measures to protect my household from preventable loss.

In our home, we are equally careful about how we dispose of mail. We never throw away letters or documents without first removing any personal identifiers. These days, we use a shredder to ensure nothing with our name, address, or sensitive information ends up in the wrong hands.

In a country where nearly every household depends on the mail, most of us still treat our mailboxes like an afterthought, until something goes missing.

Last week, a case in California made national headlines: a former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier pleaded guilty to stealing checks, credit cards, and personal information from the mail she was entrusted to deliver. The scale was alarming over 130 stolen cards, stolen Treasury checks, a loaded ghost gun, and luxury goods purchased with stolen funds. It’s easy to shake our heads at her crimes, but this case underscores a truth we’ve been slow to confront: mail theft is no longer rare, and it is often devastating.

According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), high-volume mail theft increased 87% between 2019 and 2022. In fiscal year 2023 alone, there were nearly 1,200 mail theft cases, resulting in 1,559 arrests. The FBI warns that check fraud linked to stolen mail has nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023. And identity theft often fed by stolen mail, affects 22% of Americans, costing victims far more when it begins offline.

The USPS and the USPIS are on the front lines of this crisis. The USPS has invested in replacing arrow locks with electronic locks, increasing postal police patrols, and promoting tools like Informed Delivery, which allows customers to see scanned images of incoming mail before it arrives. The USPIS actively investigates, prosecutes, and educates the public about prevention. But they cannot be everywhere at once. Mail security is a shared responsibility.

And that’s where we, as families, have been too complacent. We continue to mail personal checks in plain envelopes, send cash as gifts, or leave sensitive mail in unlocked boxes overnight. We post valuable items without tracking, insurance, or signature requirements. These habits are an open invitation to thieves.

It’s time we treat mailing money the way we treat online payments: with intention and safeguards. That means:

• Mailing checks or cash only as a last resort, and considering safer alternatives like online bill pay, direct deposit, or in-person delivery.

• Using lockable mailboxes and collecting mail promptly.

• Tracking incoming mail with USPS Informed Delivery.

• Dropping outgoing mail inside the post office or in secure blue collection boxes before the last pickup of the day.

• Monitoring financial accounts for suspicious activity, because detection speed matters.

Mail theft is not just a nuisance; it is a gateway crime to larger fraud schemes, identity theft, and in some cases, armed violence. When we ignore that reality, we leave ourselves, and sometimes our most vulnerable loved ones exposed.

The USPS can modernize locks, patrol routes, and technology. The USPIS can investigate and arrest. But the final line of defense is still us. Protecting our mail is no longer about convenience, it is about security, dignity, and keeping control over our financial identity in an era when thieves are watching every gap that we leave open.

Do have an INSPIRED day with the family.

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