Local News
By Ginger Allen
/ CBS Texas
NORTH TEXAS —Growing concerns over mail theft in North Texas are raising concerns for the United States Postal Service, homeowners, and business owners.
"It's alarming," said Kim Pettigrew, who reached out to the I-Team earlier this year after mail theft severely impacted her business. She says she is still recovering
I-Team update: Arrest warrant in Dallas mail theft
Fort Worth Detectives tell the I-Team they have identified a suspect, ShaMia Frasier, in Pettigrew's case involving stolen business checks from her design showroom. The Fort Worth woman is accused of trying to cash thousands of dollars in business checks stolen from the main Dallas Post Office.
Detectives say Frasier attempted to cash the stolen checks just 72 hours after Pettigrew dropped them in an outdoor blue mailbox at the main post office off Interstate 30 in Dallas. Pettigrew says the check cashing company told her the suspect used her own driver's license to try and cash the checks.
Despite repeated attempts by the I-Team to contact Frasier, but she has not responded.
Fort Worth business mail theft
Craig Rogers, CEO of Rogers Wealth Group in Fort Worth, had a similar story to Pettigrew's.
"We come to think of institutions like the United States Post Office as a secure foundation that ensures safe delivery from point A to point B," he said. Unfortunately, after someone stole more than $30,000 from his company, his faith in this institution was shattered.
"It seems like it's a risky proposition to use the U.S. mail now," he added.
Rogers, who has been with the company for 26 years, had never encountered such an incident at his business. His main office, located near the main post office in downtown Fort Worth, had relied on the highly recognizable blue mailboxes since 1973; however, following the theft of 46 checks in one week, the company has stopped using them.
"Forty-six checks is a lot of checks," Rogers noted.
Types of check theft
Kevin Smith, the company's controller, explained the various ways checks were stolen and tampered with after they were stolen.
Some checks appeared normal but were signed fraudulently on the back. Others had the payment amount washed out and replaced with a personal name. And, some checks were counterfeited.
"These checks are not even close to our checks because they can't even spell Rogers," Smith pointed out, referring to a check where 'Rogers' was misspelled as 'Rogerd.'
Smith added, "Three different ways these checks were stolen, and apparently all three methods worked to some extent."
CBS data analysis
Considering these reports, the I-Team delved deeper into the issue of mail theft in specific North Texas neighborhoods.
The I-Team collaborated with the CBS Data Team to mail and package theft complaints in the region - covering 553 zip codes. The analysis revealed 16,903 reports of mail theft.
The I-Team obtained the mail theft complaints from the US Postal Service from the past three years (2021, 2022, 2023) across Northern Texas, uncovering 46 complaints from the same zip code as Rogers Wealth Group. Neighboring areas to the south and west reported double and triple the number of complaints.
The CBS Data Team found the total of thefts per year over the three years has been constant.
- 2021: 5,648
- 2022: 5,799
- 2023: 5,456
This means there are about 5,600 thefts reported every year across Texas, equating to more than 15 thefts a day.
Community impact
Businesses and homeowners are emphasizing the need to raise awareness.
Rogers said it's important to speak out, "If we all stay silent, then we may not know how big this actually is."
Pettigrew continues to deal with the fallout from the theft.
"The disruption to small business is huge," she said. Pettigrew expressed her disappointment, having lived in Dallas her entire life.
North Texas zip codes with the highest number of thefts reported
Dallas, where Pettigrew's business is located, is the North Texas city that houses the zip code with the highest number of mail theft complaints according to our CBS Data Team analysis.
Dallas zip code- 75243- reported 260 incidents over the past three years.
Add that zip code to nine others and the CBS Data Team calculated 1,952 thefts in the three-year period. This accounts for 11.5 percent of all thefts.
More than one in 10- of all mail and package thefts reported happened in just 10 zip codes across the entire region of 553 zip codes.
- 75243: 260 incidents over three years
- 75204: 256 incidents
- 75287: 238 incidents
- 76112: 199 incidents
- 76116: 197 incidents
- 75206: 173 incidents
- 75231: 165 incidents
- 75052: 161 incidents
- 75093: 156 incidents
- 75154: 147 incidents
What you can do to combat mail theft
Why is mail theft on the rise?
"I don't have an answer to that," said Sean Smith, U.S. Postal Inspector overseeing Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
But Smith discussed measures being taken to address mail theft because he confirmed it's a big concern.
The Postal Service has rolled out "Project Safe Delivery," which includes updating safety features on collection boxes, replacing antiquated arrow locks with electronic ones, increasing the visibility of suspects on social media, and offering larger rewards for information leading to arrests.
Additionally, Smith and the USPS encourage residents to take several precautions to protect their mail:
Residents are advised to put their mail on hold if they plan to be away from home for an extended period. This can prevent mail from piling up and becoming an easy target for thieves.
2. Sign Up for Informed Delivery
This free service allows residents to preview their incoming mail and manage package deliveries online. By knowing what is expected to arrive, individuals can quickly notice if something is missing.
3. Secure Mailboxes
Upgrading to lockable mailboxes can prevent unauthorized access to mail.
4. Use Post Office Drop Boxes
Dropping off mail inside the post office rather than in outdoor mailboxes can reduce the risk of theft.
Residents should promptly report any suspicious activity or mail theft incidents to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Tracking changes at local post office boxes
At the Dallas Post Office on Turtle Creek Lane, the old blue mailboxes have been moved to more secure locations right in front of the building's main door.
New smart lockers have also been introduced at some post offices, including the Lakewood location, providing secure collection points for packages. These lockers allow recipients to pick up their packages using a unique code ensuring that the items remain secure until collected.
North Texas zip codes with no mail theft
While the fight against mail theft continues, there are some positive notes.
In 12 zip codes across the region, the CBS Data team found no reports of mail theft.
- 75102 Barry, TX
- 75367 Dallas
- 75490 Trenton
- 75668 Lone Star
- 75784 Reklaw
- 75847 Kennard
- 75942 Doucette
- 75948 Hemphill
- 76055 Itasca
- 76066 Milsap
- 76389 Windthrost
- 76462 Lipan
And, in 255 other zip codes, there were fewer than 10 reports.
Look up mail theft reports in your zip codes
Check out the number of reports in your neighborhood on a map.
Look up mail theft reports around your neighborhood
Check out the number of reports in 2021, 2021, and 2023 in your zip code.
For the chart one:
- In:
- I-Team Investigation
- Texas
- I-Team
- North Texas
- Crime
- Mail Theft
