I read with great interest and great anger the article in last week’s Voice about postal thefts at the Blythewood Post Office.
These mail thefts have been going on for quite a while. I had an AT&T check payment for $99.60 stolen from one of the blue drop boxes in July. The thief washed it, made it out for $5,000, and somehow successfully ran it through Capital One bank taking $5,000 from my account.
I filed a complaint with the US Postal Inspectors Office. I have a file number, but nobody ever contacted me.
I also filed a complaint with Richland County Sheriff’s Office, got a file number, and was told someone would be back to me in a couple of days. I never heard from them either.
Even my bank never called me back to get the facts from my perspective. In many ways, this problem is much greater than anyone may realize. It took almost three months for my bank to refund my money, and they only did that after I solicited help of a friend in the S.C. Bankers Association.
This theft caused me many problems over three months due to the failure of the sheriff’s department, the post office and the bank to help me.
For three months:
I could not get my monthly social security check to the correct account.
Not knowing my check had been stollen, I mailed two payments the following day and when they reached the vendor, my account had been closed because the money was missing, so those payments were late.
I had to have all direct draft payments changed, and I actually missed one of those.
My point is, this thing is far worse and more extensive than the Postal Service or Law Enforcement would have you believe and, quite frankly, I don’t think they care.
Just wanted the public to know that mail theft is nothing new to the Blythewood Post Office.
Don Pruitt
Blythewood
