How to avoid mail being intercepted

[dragonswood]

It appears as though my credit card statements this month have been intercepted and used to request new cards, at least one of which has also been intercepted.
I have a private letterbox and no-one else has access so I believe this has to be happening somewhere in the postal system (I know it hasn't just been lost as one of the credit cards has subsequently been used and it's been a problem across different banks so it's not happening there).

Do any Royal Mail employees have any idea about anything I can do to stop this happening in the future? I will obviously try and raise this with Royal Mail's customer service but I've raised lost items with them in the past and they never seem to be that interested...

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

when you say private letter box what do you mean by that? ie letterbox on your front door or a box on a wall at a comunal entranceway etc?

i would contact customer service again and say you want it investigated by the local IB (investigative branch) they should investigate it properly and find out where the mail is going missing

[dragonswood]

It's a locked box on the wall at a communal entryway - the keys don't open other boxes and no-one else has a key to my postbox.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

It's a locked box on the wall at a communal entryway - the keys don't open other boxes and no-one else has a key to my postbox.

ahh thought so, those types of boxes are fairly easy to get mail back out of, so not saying its not someone at royal mail but thoses boxes are not secure in the slightest, you can basically open the flap, stick your hand in and fish the mail out

[arnold cheshire]

It's a locked box on the wall at a communal entryway - the keys don't open other boxes and no-one else has a key to my postbox.

a member of the public could use one of our dog posting pegs to grab mail out of the box .ive used a dog posting peg to retrieve misdelivered items out of boxes

[fishtank]

Get your cards and statements sent to your local branch through the bank's internal mailing system.
Pick them up from there.

[shipmaster122]

This is a serious accusation, and I would advise you consult the police. Opening a letter is one thing, using it for fraudulent purposes is even worse!

The police should be able to advise.

[wallop]

This happened to me i live in a flat and we have some nice big built in boxes at the entrance a couple of years ago i started to notice silly things going missing like tax disc reminders,council tax bill etc the sort of thing that any postie knows what they are and that they are worthless.(not that we are dishonest of course).
One day i checked the box on the way in and the only thing in there was a mailsort letter for the previous occupant and since i was carrying shopping i just chucked it back and locked the box.
The next day i opened the box and it was empty!
A neighbour on the ground floor noticed about a week later a woman going to the block opposite and putting her hand inside the boxes through the letterbox and taking the mail out.
The next day the police waited in my neighbours flat and she turned up again when they nabbed her she had two accomplices in a car and a boot full of mail from all around the area.
Apparently they were shall is say traveller types from the east.

Anyhows to combat this all the slots on the boxes have been made smaller from the inside so no one can get a hand in.
A couple of weeks ago they caught another lot using little metal tongs doing the same thing!

[Lounge Lizard]

This happened to me i live in a flat and we have some nice big built in boxes at the entrance a couple of years ago i started to notice silly things going missing like tax disc reminders,council tax bill etc the sort of thing that any postie knows what they are and that they are worthless.(not that we are dishonest of course).
One day i checked the box on the way in and the only thing in there was a mailsort letter for the previous occupant and since i was carrying shopping i just chucked it back and locked the box.
The next day i opened the box and it was empty!
A neighbour on the ground floor noticed about a week later a woman going to the block opposite and putting her hand inside the boxes through the letterbox and taking the mail out.
The next day the police waited in my neighbours flat and she turned up again when they nabbed her she had two accomplices in a car and a boot full of mail from all around the area.
Apparently they were shall is say traveller types from the east.

Anyhows to combat this all the slots on the boxes have been made smaller from the inside so no one can get a hand in.
A couple of weeks ago they caught another lot using little metal tongs doing the same thing!

Sadly when this sort of thing happens the first person to be suspected is the decent honest postman.

[phil_card]

I'm having exactly this problem right now.

Apartment with a locked mailbox in a communal hallway, and lots of mail going missing. Only found out because one piece of mail got through with a security code for a new credit card I didn't apply for.

After looking into it I found several credit cards had been applied for and delivered to my address - none of which I received.

Even worse, an ATM swallowed my debit card, because it had been reported stolen, and a replacement card & pin had previously been sent to my address (which I never got).

Fortunately, the various fraud departments at the CC companies & bank are pretty good, and spotted the unusual activity before any harm has been done (I hope).

Does anyone know what the best solution is from Royal Mail? Can all my mail be held until I claim in person with a photo ID? Do I have to rent a PO box? Any suggestions most welcome.

[fishtank]

Can all my mail be held until I claim in person with a photo ID?

Yes.

http://www.royalmail.com/delivery/outbo ... il-collect" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[phil_card]

Yes.

http://www.royalmail.com/delivery/outbo ... il-collect" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you! thank you! thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for.