Today's special guest is Dayton Aldrich, a colleague of Vicki's and the Restitution Specialist for the District Attorney's Office in Santa Barbara. He shows real-life footage of a woman having second thoughts about stealing from a carport. When she notices that she's being filmed on a security camera, she quickly puts her loot back.
The topic then turns to mail fraud. Dayton recommends that unless your mailbox is locked or behind a gate, you should get a PO Box. Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson and Dayton remind us that much of our information is already available on the dark web and that often the fraudster only needs one more piece of information to steal your identity. Don't let them get it from your mailbox! Once again, they urge us not to put outgoing checks in your own mailbox with the flag up as this is a signal to the crook to come and get it!
Other mail recommendations include:
- Picking up your mail promptly.
- If you are depositig mail in your own mailbox for pick-up, do it close to the
time your mailperson comes.
- Limit the amount of mail you receive. Contact banks and credit card
companies and ask them to stop sending pre-approved offers, which
crooks love to get their hands on!
- If you expected mail and didn't receive it, inquire about it. (It may have been
stolen.)
- Make arrangements for your mail to be picked up when you're out of town.
- And of course, never send cash in the mail.
