The ‘Ad Man’ – Stealing Mail and Identities
For thirty years he and a group of highly organized thieves distributed circulars throughout the neighborhood – or did they? Clutching brightly colored pieces of paper in one hand, they nonchalantly opened mailbox after mailbox up and down the streets of Baltimore – but they were taking out mail instead of putting it in.
No Cover of Night for These Thieves
Loquann Johnson, a 53-year-old Baltimore man, led a troop of co-conspirators targeting residents of neighborhoods with outdoor mailboxes. They became skilled at carrying out their thefts in broad daylight, reaching in to grab the mail under the shallow pretense of distributing advertising fliers.
Checks, credit cards, tax refunds and mail-rental DVDs were only a few of the targeted pieces of mail these burglars were after. The information they could gather from each household gave them the knowledge they needed to create phony identification cards. Dressing in various costumes to impersonate their victims, they cashed the checks and set up fake accounts.
One of the Longest Running ID Theft Schemes Ever
The identity theft and mail fraud scheme affected more than 250 victims and lasted nearly 30 years, said the Maryland U.S. attorney’s office. Johnson is responsible for at least $400,000 in losses, according to the plea agreement, and has been sentenced to 11 years. Two co-conspirators are scheduled for sentencing in March; they previously also pled guilty to taking part in the scheme.
No Mail but US Mail Goes in the Box!
Once again, it is in every citizens best interest to stay on top of what they expect to be receiving by mail and why. Any fraudulent activity could come back down on your head if you are not quick to recognize and report it. This is why an early alert system can be of such great use – you need to know if someone is using your personal information.
Invest in a locking mailbox if you live in an area where your mail could be vulnerable, and be vigilant! No-one should put anything in your mailbox except for the US postal service. Mail fraud carries heavy penalties, so if you suspect your mailbox may be under attack, you should take steps to protect your identity
January 27th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Actually, this kind of organized mail identity theft is much more common than most would think. In our neighborhood, the Seattle Post Intelligencer just reported a mail identity thief (also methamphetamine addict) was sentenced to 10 years after a multi-year identity theft scheme in which he stole victims’ sensitive information from their unlocked or unsecured locking mailboxes. When all was said and done, the man had stolen over $200K from victims. (Read more here: http://www.mailboss.net/mail-id-thief-sentenced-lessons-to-be-learned/)
As recommended, a secure locking mailbox is the best defense against this kind of organized mail identity theft (or any mail theft for that matter). The mailbox is the physical destination of sensitive information arriving to your home, and the mail must be protected at its source. Just a warning: Don’t waste your money on some locking mailboxes that can be pried open by hand or with a screwdriver in just seconds, and provide little or no protection against mail theft. Be sure to get a truly secure locking mailbox like the Mail Boss (www.mailboss.net) or the Fort Knox Senator or the Armadillo… most others aren’t worth the money.