WILL YOUR CUSTOMERS’ MAIL
GET STOLEN? PROBABLY…
YOUR BEST DEFENSE IS
MAILBOX PROTECTOR™ Here’s how bad it actually is:

So how is this possible? Thieves steal Arrow keys from mail carriers or buy them on the dark web, then use them to open the master locks on dozens, even hundreds, of CBUs in the area. The picture above shows the result the morning after one such break-in – and it’s been happening for years. The problem is afflicting the entire country and it is particularly bad in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Criminals are robbing mail carriers at gunpoint specifically to get their Arrow keys. What used to be street crime is now an organized operation: steal master keys, open dozens of CBUs, grab all the mail, find the checks, wash them with household chemicals, change the payee and the amount, then deposit large sums into mule accounts. The thieves are also after credit cards, social security numbers, account numbers, and gift cards.

This is all possible because a single Arrow key unlocks every mailbox cluster in a zip code. When one key is stolen, mail for hundreds – even thousands – of people is instantly vulnerable. Thieves know this and they are taking full advantage of this inherent system weakness. Need proof? Just check out these eye-opening videos:

Mail Thieves in Action

The USPS is fully aware of the problem, but the situation is overwhelming and the solution is not as simple as “Just install a new lock” because it costs the USPS hundreds of dollars to replace a lock, then thieves will get a key to the new lock, and the cycle will start all over again. Since the USPS has other priorities and limited resources, a USPS-driven solution is not going to solve the problem.

Here are some numbers that shed light on the scope of the problem:

Mailbox Protector hardens CBUs at their most vulnerable point: the Arrow lock.

Mailbox Protector is a highly visible combination lockbox – opened with words, not numbers – that attaches to the CBU, covering and protecting the Arrow lock, and creating a second layer of security that thieves can’t penetrate. By preventing unauthorized access to the Arrow lock, it renders stolen keys useless. Once installed, Mailbox Protector instantly hardens a mailbox cluster – and its bright blue color is an instantly visible deterrent that gets thieves to move on to other, softer targets elsewhere.

Mail theft is a huge and growing problem for USPS – with no top-down federal solution anywhere on the horizon.

At a national level, the USPS does not have an answer to the mailbox cluster theft problem. They aren’t replacing millions of vulnerable Arrow locks with advanced, theft-resistant locks anytime soon. At a local level, your local postmaster doesn’t have the tools, technology, budget, or bandwidth to combat it, even though they suffer the consequences every day: upset customers, carrier-safety concerns, and burning resources on an issue that diverts them from their core mission of delivering the mail efficiently.

So, the solution is up to you as a property manager. However, since your local postmaster wants a solution to this problem just as badly as you do, you have a natural ally right in your own zip code.

Mailbox Protector was created in California’s Silicon Valley, where a number of HOAs have received approval from postmasters to participate in Mailbox Protector pilot programs. Numerous mailbox clusters in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara are now equipped with Mailbox Protectors, with positive results and enthusiastic response from the early adopters. For the first time ever, thieves can’t use their stolen Arrow keys to steal mail at will!

Ready to move forward? Here’s how!

Two guys that decided to do something about it.

Photo: Blake & Lou