Prevent mail theft with a secure virtual mailbox

The most sensitive documents collect in one spot before making it to the safety of your home: your mailbox. 

The original copy of a social security card comes in the mail. Your new credit card arrives in a thick white envelope. You can't just pick up a renewed passport - it arrives in your mailbox.

Although your mailbox won't get hacked in a data breach, worse could happen. Mail theft and mail tampering endanger your personal information. 

Mail theft statistics

With all those sensitive documents sitting in your mailbox, you need to keep it secure. 

Consider these facts about mail fraud:

• Mail theft grew by 600 percent between 2017 and 2020, according to the postal inspection service

• 11 million people in the United States had a package stolen in 2020

• The Federal Trade Commission received over 2.1 million fraud reports from consumers in 2020

How does identity theft happen with your mail?

You’d be in trouble if identity thieves intercepted your bank account statement or stole an important document, like a new driver's license.

Those items can give identity thieves enough information to open checking accounts, take out loans in your name, or access your financial  accounts.

It’s not just those high-priority mail pieces that jeopardize your personal information. 

Even a package that contains an online purchase might include a packing slip with enough information for a thief to access an online account. That information, combined with your personal information available online, can give them information about your payment method.

Protect against stolen mail and identity theft with a virtual mailbox

Most people don’t watch their mailbox 24/7. It’s inevitable that some mail will sit in your mailbox while you’re out of town or when you’re too busy to retrieve it. Some office spaces simply stack mail for your suite outside the door if no one is around to receive it or use a mailroom that isn’t secure. 

To protect yourself from mail theft, consider using a virtual mailbox provider. A virtual mailbox digitizes your postal mail, making it as easy to retrieve as email - while giving you enhanced protection against identity theft. 

How secure is a virtual mailbox?

If you opt for a virtual mailbox, select a provider that prioritizes security.

Earth Class Mail processes all mail in a secure facility, monitored 24/7 with cameras and staffed by security experts. 

Unlike its competitors, Earth Class Mail also achieved SOC-2 certification, a designation indicating the company met all recommended security requirements. These include  the receipt and management of mail and safety guidelines for facilities and its employees.

Our security measures extend to our employees. Every technician handling mail must pass a background check and undergo intensive training. 

Virtual mailboxes and online security

Virtual mailboxes ease the threat of physical theft of mail. Earth Class Mail also keeps your digital copies secure. 

Earth Class Mail undergoes regular penetration tests, where cyber security experts attempt to find any digital vulnerabilities. We address any weak spots in our computer system to protect against a data breach.  

Using a virtual mailbox can also protect your personal information with an address other than your residence to use for business mail or anything sensitive.  

When you use a virtual mailbox, you can still get the physical copy of those important documents.  Just request to ship it to wherever you are in the world. 

When it’s a sensitive document like a new credit card, you can choose from multiple options to track its delivery.

Other mail security tips

Keeping track of your personal information requires diligence. Be sure to also:

• Sign up for a free credit report and report any unusual activity

• Shred unwanted documents that contain personal information before throwing them out.

• Don't give personal information out over the phone or internet unless you started the contact.

• Check expiration dates on credit cards. Contact the issuer if you don’t get a replacement before they expire.

• Match credit card receipts against monthly bills and check financial statements for accuracy.

Want to know how a virtual mailbox works? Learn more here