Neighborhood alerts: Mail theft; suspicious security soliciting

| Crime | Door-to-door alert | Seaview | West Seattle news

Two items to share this afternoon – first, from Keri:

Just wanted to send out an alert for my area neighbors (Morgan Junction area at Mills Street) that in the last two weeks I’ve had mail stolen from my mailbox and a package taken from my front porch. This is the first time in the year I’ve been here that this has happened

Second, from Corey:

I live in the Seaview neighborhood. Two teenage girls came to my house in the evening last week inquiring if we have ADT. I asked them what they were looking for and they were kind of vague. I mentioned this to a neighbor and they had visited them as well. My neighbor had called ADT asking if they were sending people around concering their systems and they said no and that they would not send people around in the evening. These girls are targeting houses without security systems and if anyone encounters them they should call the police so they can at the very least investigate.

At the bottom of the WSB Crime Watch page, you’ll find resource links for both deterring mail theft and dealing with solicitors.

dave February 23, 2009 (4:58 pm)

Same thing happened to us on 48th between Alaska and Oregon a couple of weeks ago. Suspicious girl had a Nebraska ID hung around her neck that apparently was supposed to be a fake out for a credential.

S February 23, 2009 (4:59 pm)

I live in the area of Morgan and 35th and I had a package stolen from my door step the end of January.

I had a tracking number for it and knew it had been delivered via the UPS website and at what time it had been delivered. I went door to door to my neighbors to see if maybe it had been delivered to one of them, since my building is not a security building and it had not. The driver signed that he had left it on my door step. I have lived in my for the last 15yrs and we have never had an issue with mail theft.. but with burglary to our laundry room where the storage lockers are located on 3 different occasions.

AD February 23, 2009 (5:51 pm)

The…whaddyacallit…”official blue” mailbox at 55th & Genesee has been removed so today I was so bummed because I figured it would not be safe to send mail out from my mailbox. :(

cmc February 23, 2009 (6:24 pm)

Rachel, Do you work for front point or are you just a happy customer? thanks….

Eddie February 23, 2009 (6:34 pm)

The “ADT” solictors were around 47th and Oregon last Thursday night – at about 8pm. I didn’t listen to one word of the speal – just said “not interested”, shut the door, and turned out the porch light.

She went to the neighbors and apparently he talked with them some. They asked him if he had a security system (must not have seen the large sign in the yard…) and when he said “yes” they asked him if it was activated. That’s when he got to feeling uncomfortable. Don’t know how he got rid of them, but he called me to warn me, and I believe he also called the non-emergency precinct number – as well as called ADT to ask if they were soliciting in the area. (not sure exactly what order he made those calls).

beachdrivegirl February 23, 2009 (6:39 pm)

Rachel thank you for the information on frontpoint. It is too scary what these girls are doing. I get most of my important mail delivered to work b/c of mail issues I have ran into in the past.

WSB February 23, 2009 (6:42 pm)

The comment in question met the criteria of ad spam (clickable URL went to the company) so it’s gone, thanks to those who flagged it … TR

JanS February 23, 2009 (11:32 pm)

thanks for the explanation, TR…I thought I had missed something , re-rad the entire thing 3 times looking for “Rachel” – lol…

John February 24, 2009 (11:57 am)

The mail theft portion of this started happening in my neighborhood just North of Woodinville. The same with my business partner in Samamish. We looked for true security locking mailboxes a few years ago and found none south of $400 that would protect our identity. That is why we developed the Mail Boss Security Locking Mailbox at our facility in Redmond. It is now available nation-wide and you can find it at your local hardware store except Home Depot and Lowe’s. Look at True Value, ACE, McLendon’s and other mom and pop places. Or you can go to our website. It is not worth the risk of getting your identity stolen by not taking action now.

Monica February 24, 2009 (12:03 pm)

The recent mail thefts and strange canvassing of the neighborhood interests me. I live just across the bridge from West Seattle in Sammamish and this kind of thing is going on all the time. Just last night a man was looking in my glass front door but when he saw me inside he walked away. I went out the door following him and asked him what he needed. He said he was looking for 2005 (my house number). I said I am 2005. He then changed it to 2006. I told him there was no 2006 and asked him what he wanted. He said he was with Quest. I was like, oh, okay, but I thought about it and he was really shady. I think he was casing my house, but I was home.

In response to all these crazy things, my company began manufacturing locking security mailboxes several years ago. They are TRUELY secure and cannot be popped or pried open easily like most of the “locking” mailboxes being sold. You can find more information about them on http://www.mailboss.net I REALLY recommend a small investment in a locking mailbox. We really need them in our area.

I am going to ask Chris at Mail Boss to post the names of the retail stores that are selling the Mail Boss in or near West Seattle. They can be bought on our website but they are available for less at local hardware stores (no shipping costs)

Monica

Christopher February 24, 2009 (12:04 pm)

Mail theft is nothing new in West Seattle. My parents live near West Wood Village and used to have an unlocked mailbox on a very busy street. Needless to say they have been a prime target for mail theft since it has really picked up in the past few years. Since I started working for the Mail Boss they have recently upgraded and finally feel safe leaving their mail out while they are at work. It just takes a few pieces of information to give criminals what they need to steal someone’s identity. The Mail Boss can be purchased at True Value in the Junction, McLendon’s in White Center, and Burien Ace Hardware on 4th Ave SW.

Amazon February 24, 2009 (12:19 pm)

I also had a UPS package stolen from my front porch last week – Near 42nd Ave SW & Findlay.

WSB February 24, 2009 (1:09 pm)

Dear Mailboss people, I appreciate that you have disclosed your affiliation but this is enough commercial mention of your product – we’ll leave it up because some folks will find it helpful but it’s a fine line between helpful info and overkill for SEO. (We offer advertising at incredibly low rates given the traffic; see the Advertise! tab atop each page on the site.) Thanks – Tracy (WSB editor/co-publisher)

feline_fan February 25, 2009 (12:14 am)

Wow, I’m turned off from mail boss now. 3 spammish posts in less than 10 minutes! Yuck.

Molly February 27, 2009 (12:23 pm)

We had a care package from my mom stolen from our front porch (28th & Myrtle in Sunrise Heights) on Friday, February 20. We knew it had been stolen because a neighbor in Sylvan Heights found a letter and check from my Grandma in their trash and sent it back to her . My husband and I walked the trail between our house and Sylvan Heights and found traces of our package – a couple pacifiers, a book, a card and check addressed to my son from Grandma, and the empty box with my mom’s return address. The jerks ripped it open and threw the stuff they didn’t want into the blackberry bushes. Apparently they kept the baby clothes, the quilt my mother made, and the needlepoint Christmas stocking my 90-year-old grandmother made for my son because we have yet to find those. We also found the remains of another person’s package and took that stuff back to her.

If anyone was along that trail last Friday (the one that starts at 28th and ends at Sylvan Way) and found any baby stuff, or if you live in Sylvan Heights and had inexplicable baby items in your trash Friday afternoon, please let us know.

WSB February 27, 2009 (12:34 pm)

I will post this one to the top of the page a little bit later because this post is four days old and few people will see your comment otherwise (I only see it because I have to watch the administrative flow of the site). Sorry to hear about it – TR

RCK February 28, 2009 (12:23 am)

I had a package stolen off my porch (12th and Elmgrove) on December 3rd. However, I had just kicked out my deadbeat roommate the month before and he’d been coming around at odd times to pick up his things. Pretty sure it was him.

Sorry, comment time is over.