DENVER — Denver7 is investigating your concerns after we were contacted by families who said they’re dealing with ongoing mail theft in the city’s Central Park neighborhood.

Some residents say the issue has been happening for months: thieves breaking into mailboxes and stealing credit cards, checks, and other important documents.

Neighbors said it didn’t take long to realize something was wrong when checking their mail.

“It’s communal. So we’re like, ‘Hey, did you get your mail? Has it been missing?’ And so that’s how we started noticing,” said Trevor, a Central Park resident who preferred not to share his last name.

Another woman we talked to, Sam, who did not want to share her full name, said she started noticing lighter mail and missing items.

She said the biggest revelation came when her credit card company contacted her about suspicious activity.

“A new credit card I had ordered hadn’t got here, and it was stolen on Christmas Eve, and somebody promptly went on a shopping spree,” she said, “So that’s when I started going back and looking through all my informed mail.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service told Denver7 that it immediately replaces the damaged mailboxes. They provided this statement to Denver7 on Wednesday:

However, residents like Sam said the damaged mailboxes are not being repaired or replaced in a timely manner. She’s asking for more to be done.

I just want to make sure to bring awareness to this. With tax season coming up, the potential for identity theft with this situation is extremely high,” she said.

In addition to the statement, USPS provided the following advice for customers, to protect their mail and their letter carriers.

• Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
• Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
• Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
• Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.