WFAA-TV

Mail thefts tend to rise around tax season.

Mail may be delivered rain or shine, but too often mail does not make it from the box to its rightful owners.

According to postal officials, more than 400,000 people each year become victims of mail theft.

Postal carrier Charmayne Williams usually delivers her customers' mail personally. She said she worries when she has to leave it in the box because she has witnessed what can happen firsthand.

"There's been cases where I've seen things laying on the ground, torn open and the contents taken out," she said.

And since it is tax season, the time of year when mail theft is especially bad, thieves know personal tax information may be on its way.

Unlike credit card applications, W-2s include social security numbers, birth dates and salaries. That information is golden to an identity thief who may try to open accounts and make major purchases or even get a job.

"If someone has their W-2 stolen, another thing that may happen is somebody may take that to a tax return place and file for an advance loan off that tax return," warned Amanda McMurrey, a postal inspector.

That is precisely the reason many companies are starting to offer employees W-2 forms electronically, but even that is not foolproof.

"That can also happen with someone going in and mocking up a W-2 with someone's stolen personal identification that they may have stolen from some place else," McMurrey said.

McMurrey said people should check the mail every day and as early as possible.

"That's the best way you can guard yourself against mail theft," she said.

If you are out of town for long periods of time, it's a good idea to request a hold on your mail or to rent a post office box.

Mail theft is a crime and can mean up to five years in prison for each piece of mail stolen.

E-mail bgreene@wfaa.com.