A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier was robbed in Chicago Friday evening as mail theft incidents continue to rise in the city and surrounding suburbs.
The incident occurred around 5:45 p.m. on the 2600 block of North Washtenaw in the Logan Park neighborhood. Two men approached the female mail carrier and stole multiple items from her, CWB Chicago reported, citing police.
The thieves were reportedly targeting her “arrow key,” a universal master key that can open any collection box, outdoor parcel locker, cluster box unit, or apartment panel.
The U.S. Postal Service recently urged people to refrain from placing mail in its blue collection mailboxes when they are most susceptible to theft, such as at the last collection time of the day or on Sundays and federal holidays.
Mail thieves will typically target people’s identities or alter stolen checks to increase the face value of the original check amount, a source with knowledge of the issue told CWB Chicago.
“The stolen $40 utility payment is changed to $4,000. The halfwit withdraws the money, and the account crashes,” the source told the outlet. “Checks, credit cards, PPP loans, and identity theft are the new hustle in urban America.”
The source added that thieves will conduct their operations using “marginalized” people to open checking accounts they do not need.
The U.S. Postal Service warning comes as the Windy City has recently seen a wave of mail theft incidents.
In December, a resident called 911 after they witnessed an individual fraudulently posing as a postal worker attempting to use a master key to open mailboxes in the Roscoe Village neighborhood. The suspect was gone when police arrived.
Earlier that month, a group of two or four men entered a parked USPS truck and stole mail packages from it, CBS Chicago reported. A few minutes later, a group of two or four reportedly stole mail from another USPS vehicle parked a mile away from the first one.
Mail theft has also spread to Chicago suburbs. Local police in Naperville and Barrington Hills issued alerts to residents in December due to an increase of theft from blue collection mailboxes.
According to the Chicago Police Department, criminal complaints about theft increased by 56 percent from 2021 to 2022.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.