Assemblyman William Colton (D – Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) is warning the neighborhood of the outbreak of an identity theft problem that is resulting from mail being stolen from neighborhood United States Postal mailboxes and is demanding that the United States Postal Service replace mailboxes with new secured ones.

“There have been a number of problems with the United States Postal neighborhood mailboxes, where people’s identity have been stolen due to fishing in mailboxes. Throughout the Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights neighborhoods there are still many of the older United States postal mailboxes that have an access by opening the large slot where mail then easily can be fished out,” Colton states.

“Also there are frequent complaints that the mail hasn’t been picked up on the scheduled daily basis and it just overflows, which gives easy access for the crooks. I am calling on the United States Postal Inspection Service to investigate and change all the neighborhood United Sates Postal Service mailboxes to newer models with a narrow slot which does not permit mailed letters from being fished out of the box,” Colton demands

“I am strongly advising the public not to use old mailboxes for their protection and that of their mail,” Colton suggests.