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Perhaps; but the Postal Service currently operates at a near zero level of security for residential mail. Both incoming and outgoing mails said outside in an un

Perhaps; but the Postal Service currently operates at a near zero level of security for residential mail. Both incoming and outgoing mails said outside in an unlocked box (for many of us) that can be easily accessed by any passerby. If (even) more of the contents of those boxes became valuable for easy impersonation and theft, the motivation for people to rummage would increase, and we would all likely pay a cost both in convenience and dollars for ordinary mail use.

cm2187 9y ago
True. But that will still protect you from a kid in Russia.
mschuster91 9y ago
> Both incoming and outgoing mails said outside in an unlocked box (for many of us) that can be easily accessed by any passerby. Yeah, but get caught messing with mail and you can get royally screwed. I don't know of any other country where the Postal Service has its own cops with arrest powers, seems to be a pretty powerful deterrent.
- stevekemp 9y ago
  There have been stories in the UK new recently, alleging postal delivery-workers were stealing and selling credit-cards from their deliveries. For example: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/revealed-crooked-birmingham-postmen-being-13561626 http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/revealed-...
alkonaut 9y ago
We have "mail as 2FA" used pretty widely here, and identity theft usually involves someone e.g. opening a credit card or ordering products in someone elses name, and then stalking their mailbox in order to actually get anything. So people simply got lockable mailboxes and that works pretty well.
chiph 9y ago
Mail theft is a problem in my area. The USPS is pushing for "cluster mailboxes" which are 20+ mailboxes in one aluminum housing. The problem is they're easy to break into. I had Netflix suspend my account because so many discs went missing. The postal inspector's response was "Did you call the cops?"

cm2187 9y ago

True. But that will still protect you from a kid in Russia.

mschuster91 9y ago

> Both incoming and outgoing mails said outside in an unlocked box (for many of us) that can be easily accessed by any passerby. Yeah, but get caught messing with mail and you can get royally screwed. I don't know of any other country where the Postal Service has its own cops with arrest powers, seems to be a pretty powerful deterrent.

stevekemp 9y ago
There have been stories in the UK new recently, alleging postal delivery-workers were stealing and selling credit-cards from their deliveries. For example: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/revealed-crooked-birmingham-postmen-being-13561626 http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/revealed-...

alkonaut 9y ago

We have "mail as 2FA" used pretty widely here, and identity theft usually involves someone e.g. opening a credit card or ordering products in someone elses name, and then stalking their mailbox in order to actually get anything. So people simply got lockable mailboxes and that works pretty well.

chiph 9y ago

Mail theft is a problem in my area. The USPS is pushing for "cluster mailboxes" which are 20+ mailboxes in one aluminum housing. The problem is they're easy to break into. I had Netflix suspend my account because so many discs went missing. The postal inspector's response was "Did you call the cops?"