Either we have some really stupid teens around here (wouldn't surprise me)
or we have someone intent on identity theft pretending to be stupid teens or
they are just stupid identity theft people (not necessarily teens).

Yesterday I went out, I had no mail.  That's odd; I usually at least have an
unwanted catalog.  I also noticed ALL the flags on the mailbox were UP
indicating we all had outgoing mail.  I knew what wasn't the case.  So I
glanced in the other mailboxes; they were also all empty.  Kiddy prank?
That's what I thought at the time.  And I put them all back down.

So this evening I ran to the store about 8:30.  Nothing appeared amiss but I
didn't go out my back door; my car is parked by my front door.  A short time
ago I realized I hadn't checked my mailbox today.  So I went out the back
door through the patio to walk to the street to my mailbox.  There's trash
scattered all over the grass behind my patio fence.  Sales flyers, trash, I
figured.  Annoying.  As I scooped it all up I realized there were also
letters, envelopes, all ripped open.  Someone had raided our mailboxes!

All the letters were empty.  Not just my stuff; stuff from all 6 mailboxes
on my row.  Including credit card statements, bank statements.  Oh gawd.

I just called and left a message with the apartment manager's service.  I
haven't gone through this entire pile of paper yet (I gathered up as much as
I could see in the dark.)  I don't know if this is kids (god knows there are
more teens around since school got out than I ever saw around here before)
or the workmen from across the street since the duplex went up for sale.

I immediately called and reported it to the apartment manager's office.
Frankly, I was shocked when I got a live service rather than an answering
machine.  But the apartment office is closed on Sunday.  Who knows when I'll
get a call back?

Should I report it to the post office?  They aren't open tomorrow, either.
And what the heck could they do?  It's a federal offense to tamper with U.S.
mail, but it's not like they have cameras perched in the trees.

What about the police?  Should I call them tomorrow?  Again, what could they
do?  No one saw anything.  I didn't hear anything.  Who would hear paper
being scattered around?

I'm just so angry.  I'll look at all the envelopes (the stupid sales flyers
won't help).  I'll type up a note explaining what I found.  Then I'll figure
out which addresses the mail was intended for, then tape the note on their
front doors tomorrow explaining what I found.  At a quick glance they are
all neighbors at my end of the complex.  They need to know if they should be
phoning their banks ASAP.

Of course I didn't go around tonight checking to see if other mailboxes and
yards in the complex had similarly been affected.  At this time of night I'm
not about to.  But I'll compose a note, you betcha.  Then I'll see what the
apartment manager has to say.  Maybe she'll call me back tomorrow even
though the office is closed.

Dammit, this just pisses me off.  It's been such a nice quiet neighborhood
for 10 years (except for the cats that annoyed Persia, and they've moved).
Now we have this sort of crap going on?

Jill