Mailbox. (Credit: slgckgc/ Flickr)
Toms River police on Tuesday warned that some residents have been affected by so-called “mail hold” scams, which is a sign that a person’s identity has been stolen.
Toms River police and the United States Postal Inspection Service are investigating complaints of fraudulent mail holds being placed on addresses in Toms River and the surrounding communities. The unauthorized mail holds could indicate that a resident’s identity has been stolen and used to apply for credit cards in the residents’ names, said police spokeswoman Jillian Messina. Often however, the post office, the customer, and the various credit card companies recognize the fraud before there is a problem.
Postal Inspectors are working closely with the Toms River Police Department to investigate possible identity thefts and fraudulent mail holds. Customers are encouraged to monitor the receipt of their mail, by retrieving it daily from the mailbox or through the USPS Informed Delivery service online. Any suspicious activity, or non-receipt of mail over two days or more should be immediately reported to the local post office by calling 800- ASK-USPS, or reporting to USPS under “Where is my package?”.
Anyone who discovers they are a victim of identity theft is encouraged to call Toms River police at 732- 349-0150, or file a report with the department at www.trpolice.org and select “File a Report” on the homepage. Someone who discovers a fraudulent mail hold was placed on thier address can file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455.
Using the mail to steal someone’s identity could subject the actor to serious federal or state felony charges and time in prison, Messina said in the statement.
