Mail fraud raises red flag

It's easy to keep our heads in the sand and pretend that this nice community we live in is somehow immune to crime.

Each week, however, the Camarillo Acorn's sheriff's blotter is filled with cases of petty theft- although the theft of your favorite mountain bike or the loss of your expensive laptop could hardly be considered "petty."

Recently, criminals have been stealing personal information from mailboxes. As reported by police both in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, three people were apprehended this month and charged with mail theft, identity theft, forgery and fraud for crimes in Ventura County. The suspects, two men and a woman, apparently had been stealing mail from private residences in an attempt to siphon check information and create illegal accounts. This type of crime is widespread throughout the county, including Camarillo. And because of the nature of the crime, deputies say, there are many instances when it goes unreported.

What we've learned is that the home mailbox is no longer sacred, not unless it's locked or somehow safely secured. Unfortunately there's little a homeowner can do except stop using the mailbox completely, at least for the sending of checks. Deputies say the savvy thief can take advantage of even the slightest bit of personal information once they get their hands on it. Mail theft occurs so frequently that criminals have even coined a new verb, "mail-boxing."

It's imperative that you protect your Social Security number and your bank and credit card accounts at all times.

Electronic payment is one solution to the problem, but many people still prefer the comfort of writing checks and having hard copies and stubs for their records.

On a related note, you'd think people would have gotten wise by now to this whole thing about Internet crimes and illegal online solicitations. Just about any offer to give you "free" money via your e-mail is a scam, yet people are still getting suckered in. The promise of easy money is seductive, and greed gets the best of people. Just remember the old adage that if it's too good to be true, it usually is. Leave the schemes and scams to the criminals- and let them pay the price in the end.