Tis the season to be stealing

[m3racer]

It appears someone at the US post service decided to steal several gift cards that I had mailed to my family. I'm just amazed at the scum bucket that decided it was ok to steal x-mas gifts. I guess you live you learn. If anyone is thinking about sending gift cards thru US mail.....Don't do it!!!

[kork13]

when did you mail them? The postal system regularly gets backed up around major holidays (Christmas most especially), so delivery may simply be delayed. I don't know for a certainty, but I also suspect that your standard first-class mail (most letters/small envelopes) takes a backseat in such times so that packages get shipping priority. Give it at least 2 weeks for the system to get untangled, I'm sure that they'll eventually get delivered. I have a check and also a package that still haven't been delivered (mailed 1-1.5 weeks ago), but I'm not too worried about them right now.

It is generally pretty difficult for specific items (such as gift cards, checks, etc.) to be targeted for mail theft. As long as they're shipped in standard, secure envelopes (the ones with inked designs on the inside to prevent "see-through"), it's hard to distinguish what an envelope might contain, which discourages a thief by realizing that he might have to target dozens of envelopes to find something even potentially valuable to him.

[GrimJack]

A friend of mine works at the Post Awful; she says that the security is pretty tight. You can't put your hand into your pockets _ever_ while on the floor. If you bend down to pick something up, you take it to the super's desk. On the other hand, she says that she can tell by the feel, when a card contains money (she has worked there for almost 30 years and is ready to retire). There are no rules that can't be broken; nor can there be anyway to prevent theft. Just think about someone with a magician's manipulating skills working with mail. They get caught, fired and sent to jail but there is always someone who thinks they can get away with theft.

Merry Christmas all.

[disneysteve]

It sucks that that happened but I have to say I would never, ever mail cash or any cash equivalent for just that reason. If you saved the gift card info, you can contact the retailer and see if they can cancel the gift cards and reissue them to you.

[sfalexi]

Yeah, it certainly sucks. Keep your chin up though. They MAY have just gotten lost in the shuffle.

[cschin4]

Yes, sending cash is no longer a good idea.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Were they all mailed at the same time, same place?

[m3racer]

Were they all mailed at the same time, same place?

Yup, all mailed at the same time. One piece of mail without a gift card made it. The others never had a chance.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Does the post office offer a way to report this? Seems if they had complaints that pointed to a specific shift of workers they might be able to narrow it down, especially if others over time had the same complaint to report.

Sorry your gifts went missing like that.

[MonkeyMama]

I would be careful too. We had a major check washing ring that was tracked down to my work's post office. I was the only one who seemed to notice that mail disappeared for weeks at a time, so I stop trusting sending mail from my office. The sad thing is we send sensitive tax returns all the time. Everyone thought *I* was crazy and then our client's checks started getting stolen, washed, reprinted. Ended up that was what was going on. That it originated at the post office (maybe a mail carrier - I don't know the details).

Where there's a will, there's a way. It is so much easier just to steal gift cards than to wash checks... I'd definitely report it.

[Saving_spree]

Postal system is very safe and security is also high. It may be delayed due to some reason.. Postal system can never steal things..

[disneysteve]

Postal system is very safe and security is also high. It may be delayed due to some reason.. Postal system can never steal things..

This is absolutely untrue. Things get stolen from the mail all the time. I'm sure if you Google postal theft you'll turn up numerous stories of postal workers stealing mail.