Scammers Using Mailboxes to Steal Your Identity - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.

A scam where the perpetrators stick adhesive on the inside of public mailboxes and then retrieve the mail that people put into the box before the mailman has a chance to empty it out has been thwarted, but this is not the first occurrence of such a caper. In Fort Worth, Texas there have been thirty arrests in under a year for similar crimes, which can lead to a five-year prison sentence if the perpetrator is convicted. The United States Postal Service offers a reward of 10 thousand dollars for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of someone responsible for committing this federal crime. Thieves are trying to steal money or obtain information that allows them to commit identity theft.

A couple of criminals in California were apprehended with hundreds of pieces of stolen mail including debit and credit cards and checks. They were both arrested on multiple charges including possessing stolen property, driving on a suspended license, and possession of drug paraphernalia. One is being held without bail and the other is incarcerated pending a quarter million dollar bail.