Austin police say they have broken up a sprawling identity-theft operation that turned residents' mailboxes into a pipeline for fraud, arresting eight people and warning that the investigation is far from finished. Detectives describe a group that stole mail on a large scale and used what they found to build fraudulent identities and make illicit purchases in victims' names.
One of the key tools, investigators say, was a set of counterfeit U.S. Postal Service arrow keys, the master keys used to open the panels on cluster mailboxes. With them, the group could open a mailbox, remove the mail, and then close and relock the panel, leaving victims with no idea that anything had been taken. That, police say, is what made the thefts so difficult to detect.
The stolen mail gave the ring access to a trove of sensitive material. According to police, the group made off with financial documents, medical records, credit card offers and essentially anything of value that arrived in the mail. Those documents became the raw material for identity theft, handing the group the personal information they needed to impersonate their victims.
Investigators say the operation was organized and self-perpetuating. Members allegedly created records of the information they gathered, sold it to one another, and taught each other how to use it for fraudulent purchases and to obtain fraudulent credit. Detective Green described the scheme as a significant issue, pointing to the sophistication and scale of what the group was doing.
The consequences for victims were tangible. In one case, investigators said a $54,000 BMW was purchased using fraudulent information, and when they contacted the person whose identity had been used, they reached a victim who did not even live in Austin and had no idea a car had been bought in their name. Such cases illustrated how far the fraud reached beyond the city.
So far, eight people have been arrested, many of them with lengthy criminal histories, but police believe the problem extends well beyond those in custody. The Postal Service has told investigators that this market is one of the largest of its kind, underscoring how widespread mail-based identity theft has become and how much of it may still be operating.
Police signaled that more arrests could follow. In just the last two weeks, investigators said they served four more search warrants targeting other groups, recovering additional stolen mail, property and evidence of fraud. Their goal, officials said, is to aggressively pursue those responsible and bring consequences, with a warning to anyone involved that police may be coming.