San Bruno police warn residents to check accounts after post office burglary
San Bruno police warn residents to check accounts after back-to-back post office burglaries
Authorities are issuing a warning to Peninsula residents to check their bank accounts following back-to-back thefts at the San Bruno Post Office, including a robbery that left an employee injured.
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Authorities are issuing a warning to Peninsula residents to check their bank accounts following back-to-back thefts at the San Bruno Post Office, including a robbery that left an employee injured.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the San Bruno Police Department announced that investigators are looking into two incidents where suspects targeted the loading dock at the facility located at 1300 Huntington Ave.
Police said anyone who sent mail through the Huntington Avenue post office or dropped mail into collection boxes serviced by the San Bruno office – including boxes located in South San Francisco – "may have been affected" by the burglary. (U.S. Posta
What we know:
During the first incident last Thursday afternoon, surveillance cameras captured a suspect running down the loading dock with four tubs full of mail before driving off. A postal worker who attempted to stop the suspect was shoved to the ground and injured, elevating the crime to a robbery.
Authorities said a second, strikingly similar crime occurred at the same location this Wednesday. Investigators believe the two incidents are connected.
"It’s very brazen, it’s shocking that anyone would walk into a post office and do a crime like this," said U.S. Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet. "I really can’t speak for what mail thieves are thinking. It’s not a particularly lucrative crime for them to commit in the first place and it’s a high risk of injury, a high risk of them getting caught, so it’s not really a crime smart people commit."
Check your bank accounts:
Police said anyone who sent mail through the 1300 Huntington Ave. location or dropped mail into collection boxes serviced by the office, including boxes located in South San Francisco, may have been affected.
"Residents are encouraged to monitor their bank accounts, credit card accounts, and other financial statements for any unauthorized activity," San Bruno police said in a statement.
Norfleet explained that thieves typically target mail to steal checks, erase the original recipient's name, and insert their own details to deposit the funds fraudulently. Because not every piece of incoming or outgoing mail is scanned, investigators are relying heavily on the public to report missing items.
"We do rely on the public to let us know if things like checks or credit cards go missing," Norfleet said.
The news has left frequent patrons on edge.
"I have mailed bills here so I’m going to check my bills and check my statements, because this is pretty scary," said San Bruno resident Gabrielle Riste.
What you can do:
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects involved. If apprehended, the perpetrator could face up to 20 years in federal prison for mail theft and assaulting a federal worker.
Anyone with information on the burglary was asked to call the USPIS at 1-877-876-2455.
The Source: US Postal Inspection Service, San Bruno Police Department