Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Hold Mail While Away

An overflowing mailbox is often a sign of a vacant house. 
 
Don't be a target this holiday season by calling attention to your absence.  Unattended mail leaves you at risk for theft or identity fraud. 
 
If you will be traveling, even for just a few days, arrange to have your mail held.  It can be held for as few as three days and as long as 30 days. 
 
You can pick up a form at your local post office, or use the online hold service.  While not available everywhere, I put a couple of sample zip codes into the form and found it available.
 
 
 
 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good advice, if you trust your mailman.

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!

Anonymous said...

I can stop the mail. I can stop the paper. But I can't stop the people who go through the neighborhood leaving annoying circulars on the front door advertising all sorts of things that I don't care about. Those things building up are also a sure sign that no one is home.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of the Seinfeld where Kramer tries to have his mail completely stopped. For good :-)

Fly Girl said...

Astroprof: Yes, I hate the people who leave things taped to the door, or rolled up and placed through the door handle, or under the welcome mat. And what about all those "free" community newspapers that are left on your doorstep. Unfortunately, this is a signal that no one is home. I usually ask my neighbors to help me out on this one, and do the same in return for them. I've heard that some communities have tightened laws about what can be left behind, so if anyone has more info about that, please let all of us know.

Bone: I had completely forgotten about that episode. What a hoot!

Anonymous said...

Very good advice. It's known as making yourself a "hard target" (as in hardened-target) vs a "soft target. Stop the newspapers as well - or you can do what my neighbor does when he goes off on his business trips; he just lets me take his papers off the driveway as I head off to work!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link ... very helpful.