Mail and Package Theft: The Postal Inspection Service's Prevention Tips, Check Washing and Where to Report
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How we wrote this: A summary of U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) pages on mail and package theft, check washing and reporting crimes, plus the USPS Hold Mail, Informed Delivery and Missing Mail pages, all linked below and checked October 29, 2026. Service details change; confirm on USPS.com before you rely on one.
For a home office, the mailbox carries more than catalogs: client checks, bank cards, tax forms, replacement devices. The Postal Inspection Service says the vast majority of mail arrives safely, but thieves still target it. Postal inspectors arrested almost 9,300 suspects for theft of mail and packages from 2019 through 2024.
The USPIS prevention list
From the Inspection Service's mail and package theft page:
- Pick up mail promptly. Don't leave letters or packages in the mailbox or at the door any longer than you have to.
- Follow up on overdue mail. If an expected check, credit card or other valuable item doesn't arrive, contact the sender as soon as possible.
- Don't send cash.
- Arrange for package pickup if you can't be home, or use USPS Hold Mail.
- Use Hold for Pickup when shipping, so the recipient collects the package at their Post Office.
- Request Signature Confirmation for something important.
- File a change of address when you move, and tell your financial institutions.
Check washing
USPIS describes check washing as changing the payee name, and often the amount, on a check and depositing it fraudulently. Sometimes the checks are stolen from mailboxes and soaked in chemicals to remove the ink. The Inspection Service's tips:
- Mail checks in a blue collection box before the last pickup, or inside your local Post Office.
- Never leave mail in your mailbox overnight.
- Have mail held at the Post Office, or picked up by a friend or neighbor, when you're away.
The warning sign it highlights: a check you sent was cashed, but the recipient says it never arrived. If that happens, USPIS asks you to report it to the Inspection Service, your local police department and your credit reporting bureau.
Three USPS services that help
| Service | What it does | Key details from USPS |
|---|---|---|
| Hold Mail | Holds your mail at the local Post Office until you return | Minimum 3 days, maximum 30 days; request up to 30 days ahead, by 3 AM ET on the start day (Monday to Saturday). For longer, use a forwarding service |
| Informed Delivery | Daily email preview of letter mail and packages coming soon | Free; images are grayscale, address side only, of letter-sized mail; package tracking alerts in one place. Works with a personal or business USPS.com account |
| Signature Confirmation / Hold for Pickup | Options when you ship | The package waits for a signature, or at the Post Office |
Informed Delivery has a security benefit beyond convenience: if the morning email shows a bank statement or a check that never shows up in your box, you know to start asking questions that day. USPS also notes that a previewed item can occasionally be delayed in reaching its destination, so give it a little time before assuming theft.
If something goes missing
- Check tracking first, if the item had it.
- Contact the sender for a check, card or other valuable item.
- Submit a Missing Mail search request on USPS.com. USPS accepts these starting 7 days after mailing. Have the sender and recipient addresses, the container type and size, tracking numbers or the mailing receipt, a description of the contents and any photos ready.
- File an insurance claim if the item was insured. USPS recommends filing right away for damaged or missing contents, and the deadline is 60 days from the date of mailing. Services with a money-back guarantee, such as Priority Mail Express, may qualify for a refund instead.
Reporting theft and mail scams
- Mail theft: report it to the Postal Inspection Service online at uspis.gov/report, or call 1-877-876-2455.
- A crime in progress: call 911.
- Delivery delays or service problems (not crimes) go to the USPS help pages instead.
- Scam texts or emails claiming to be from USPS, especially "delivery failure" messages: forward them to spam@uspis.gov, then delete them. More on those in package delivery text scams.
- If personal information was stolen, consider a credit freeze at all three bureaus.
A short routine for a home business
- Collect mail daily, and pick up packages the day they arrive.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery and glance at the digest each morning.
- Put Hold Mail on before every trip.
- Drop outgoing checks inside the Post Office or in a blue collection box before the last pickup.
- Ask that important deliveries need a signature or go to Hold for Pickup.