NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida business owner is expressing his frustration over a crime that has become all too common: mail theft.
Warren Gerstein shared a video with 7News back in January of 2023 that shows a thief using a key to steal mail from post boxes outside an office building located at Plaza 68 in Northwest Miami-Dade.
The thief escaped with several items, including several thousand dollars’ worth of checks.
The first round of thefts in 2023 led to the discovery of surveillance video of the thief with a key hitting the bank of mailboxes at the building.
This time, Gerstein has not been able to track down the crime on camera, but he knows it’s happening.
“This is happening again,” said Gerstein. “We would normally receive 140 checks a month, and in May we received 21.”
According to Gerstein, the checks are still being stolen, washed and cashed, and his employees can’t get paid.
Like the string of crimes last year, thieves are intercepting checks, changing the name of the payee and cashing them in.
Now, Gerstein’s customers are being told that they have to cancel their checks, recoup their money and then issue new checks.
Gerstein said that over $180,000 of the company’s money is tied up in that process, which is $80,000 more than the amount he lost last year.
“This is a check, written to us, which was stolen from our mail and then changed to this name, and it was deposited into a Fidelity account,” said Gerstein. “Another name that was changed. They’re so clearly washed that it’s shocking to me that they could be cashed, and they getting away with it constantly.”
Gerstein filed a complaint with the U.S. Postal Service.
“If you are going to deliver the U.S. mail, it’s your job to protect the customers that use the service,” Gerstein said.
USPS referred 7News to the Postal Inspection Service. A spokesperson said an investigator would be contacting Gerstein about the thefts.
7News also received a statement that reads:
“The U.S. Postal Service remains committed to safe and efficient delivery of mail and goods.”
Dr. Ivan J. Ramirez, MPA, Postal Inspector/Federal Agent with United States Postal Inspection Service
Responding to concerns about crooks having postal keys, they added, “We have learned that oftentimes these ‘keys’ were counterfeit items crafted from an array of materials.”
“We need to find a long-term solution to the problem,” said Gerstein.
A spokesperson also stated that they are currently working on plans to roll out a more secure system for mailboxes across the country.
Gerstein hopes the plan will be implemented soon.
“At the end of the day, this is really hard on us, on businesses,” said Gerstein. “It’s just a web of issues that we are dealing with, and it is, both financially and emotionally, it is draining.”
Gerstein told 7News he is still communicating with the Postal Inspection Service as they work on a more secure system.
Until then, the Postal Inspection Service advises people to pick up their mail every day and refrain from leaving it in the mailbox overnight.
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