Brazos County Sheriff's Office warns mail theft on the rise

The Brazos County Sheriff's Office says they are seeing an increase in mail theft reports in the county.

Officials said that criminals will steal mail this time of year hoping to get your tax return or personal documents.

The sheriff's office has some advice on how to protect yourself from mail thieves:

Promptly pick up your mail.

Try not to leave letters and packages in your mailbox or at your door for any length of time.

Deposit your mail close to the pickup time.

Deposit outgoing mail into USPS Blue Collection Boxes before the last collection or inside your local Post Office.

Inquire about overdue mail.

If you do not receive a check, credit card, or other valuable mail you’re expecting, contact the sender as soon as possible and inquire about it.

Don’t send cash.

Be careful about what you send. Don’t risk sending cash in the mail.

Arrange for prompt pickup.

If you cannot be home to receive a package, make another arrangement or use the USPS Hold Mail Service.

Use Hold for Pickup.

When shipping packages, use the Hold for Pickup option, and the recipients can collect the package at their local Post Office.

Purchase a locking mailbox or PO BOX.

There are several consumer options for locking mailboxes which will prevent thieves from having easy access to your mail.