Vancouver homeowner captures mid-day mail theft on camera

A Vancouver homeowner has shared security camera footage of a man breaking into his mailbox with a screwdriver and stealing letters in broad daylight. With tax forms being sent out this time of year, police say it’s a reminder to keep private information safe.

The homeowner spoke with CTV News and only wanted to be identified by his first name, John.

“I arrived home from work about 2:30 in the afternoon and saw the mailbox didn’t look right,” he said. “So then I went and checked the footage.”

The video shows a man entering his front yard around 1 p.m, dressed in a safety vest and carrying an Amazon package. The man approached the mailbox and pulled out a screwdriver to pry open the slot. He spent around two minutes going through the contents before taking off with a few letters.

At first, John assumed the man was a delivery worker, but also noticed he was driving a Honda and not an Amazon van.

When asked if he knew what had been taken John said it was hard to tell for sure.

“Maybe a cheque?” he said. “I got that reissued just to be safe.”

Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said mail thefts are “quite a big problem” all over the city.

“We have a number of people - networks, organized crime groups that are working together to steal mail. It’s happening in apartment buildings, it’s happening in single family homes,” Addison said.

“Apartment buildings in the downtown core are being hit really hard right now. We’ve had about half a dozen apartment buildings hit in the last month.”

Addison said thieves are typically trying to access credit cards and bank cards to activate and use, but they can also be trying to “data mine” to steal people’s identities.

“They can take a credit card, your tax slips, property assessment,” Addison said, adding that identity theft victims may not find out until months later.

If residents are concerned about mail safety he suggests picking important letters up directly from the bank or post office, and says people living in apartment buildings should be careful not to allow strangers in.