Burnaby RCMP aiming to identify group of prolific mail thieves
In some cases, more than 100 mail boxes have been cleared out in minutes, police say
Burnaby RCMP are warning condo and apartment dwellers to pick up their mail daily following a string of mail thefts.
They say up to five suspects have committed multiple thefts in Burnaby apartment buildings over the past few weeks.
RCMP say the suspects get access to the building, most often in the middle of the night, and break into the mail boxes. They say in some cases, more than 100 mail boxes have been cleared out in minutes.
Once the mail is stolen, RCMP say the suspects use the information obtained to build a personal online profile and commit identity theft and fraud.
"People don't realize that criminals are using all kinds of information contained within stolen mail to commit further crimes," said Cpl. Daniela Panesar in a press release.
"We want people to know that just because your credit card wasn't stolen doesn't mean that criminals won't use the information on a utility bill to gather further information about you to commit further crimes, such as fraud."
Burnaby RCMP's Prolific Offender Suppression Team has taken over the investigation.
Police don't know if all the suspects are working together. They have released surveillance video from the apartment buildings in the hope of identifying them.
See how the thieves are able to pry apart the mail box panel
To protect against mail theft, RCMP are urging residents to pick up their mail daily, have mail redirected if they're expecting to be gone for a lengthy period of time, and not to let anyone they don't recognize into their building.
Anyone with information on the identity of the suspects is asked to call Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999.