More ABC7 viewers share issues with rising mail theft in San Jose communities

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — Just weeks after we highlighted mail theft in San Jose, for the second time in a few months, a new community is coming forward to share their story.

They have been hit five times in about five weeks and one neighbor was scammed out of thousands of dollars because of it.

When mail theft is caught on camera, it’s a helpless feeling. Often times all residents can do is sit back and watch.

“For those criminals, it’s just so easy for them to open the mailbox, steal everything from it – looking for credit cards and checks – and get out of there,” A neighbor said. “And that’s a huge issue.”

MORE: San Jose residents plagued by mail theft with stolen master keys amid ongoing investigation

An issue this community near Mabury and King Roads has become very familiar with.

Multiple in the neighborhood have been robbed with master keys or even by breaking into them.

“It’s a huge hassle for everyone here,” The neighbor said. “Me, personally, I lost an envelope of blank checks and they used those checks to steal money from my account – like $3,200.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on mail theft and, unfortunately, we know it’s probably not going to be the last.

MORE: Video shows suspected thieves with master Post Office keys stealing mail at San Jose complex

In fact, in the past few months alone, we’ve had three different viewers from three different parts of San Jose reach out after seeing our stories, wanting us to highlight their issues as well.

This includes just two weeks ago near Almaden Walk Loop.

A neighbor there, who also wanted to remain anonymous, told us they were victims again – even after our story.

“March 28 was when the mailbox was fixed,” He said. “March 29 at 5:30 in the morning, we captured more footage of two perpetrators opening the mailbox. So, overnight they basically stole maybe a weeks worth of mail.”

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In November, we covered another theft in South San Jose, in Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s District.

After seeing the video, he told us in a statement:

“Continued reports of mail theft are extremely concerning. I have previously demanded that USPS replace locks in areas where residents reported theft to my office, which they only did after repeated requests from my office. While we must first gather all of the facts in this case, if this is another instance where locks must be changed, then we will press USPS to do so.

I originally convened community members and local law enforcement in 2024 to address an earlier mail theft issue in San Jose. In that case, the USPS replaced the keys and the thefts stopped. USPS should do the same whenever they get a report of mail theft, and not deny that theft is taking place.

Additionally, in the House of Representatives I have introduced the Maximizing Agency Integration on Letter (MAIL) Theft Act to coordinate federal investigation of these crimes. When mail theft happens, people often report it to local police who, despite their diligent work to serve the community, often lack the resources and authorities to address this federal crime. I also cosponsor like the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act, which would appoint an assistant U.S. attorney to prosecute postal crime, amend sentencing guidelines related to the assault of a postal employee, and replace old mail collection boxes with high-security models. We have also sent the footage of the various mail thefts to the United States Postal Inspection Service.

“Everybody within the Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service takes this personally,” Inspector Matt Norfleet said.

USPIS says investigators in every zip code have been combatting the rise in mail theft by installing new locks and changing keys.

But Norfleet says residents can help by checking their mail daily and submit video of mail theft to uspis.gov or call 1-877-876-2455.