#15 – REPORT MISSING MAIL

In the case of a missing bank or credit card statement, first contact your bank or credit card company to make sure it was sent out. Also ask them if they’ve received any change-of-address updates that you may not have authorized. If the bank sent the statement and has not received a change-of-address, contact your local post office (visit www.usps.gov to find yours) or call the United States Postal Service customer service at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) to file a complaint. Someone may be tampering with your mail, especially if you have not received any mail within a two-day period or if you are not receiving mail regularly (i.e. on a specific day of the week) for two or more weeks in a row. You may also consider filing a police report with local authorities.

If the statement or other sensitive document never turns up, continue to periodically check in with all of your creditors to make sure no change-of-address forms have been filed in your name. And consider switching to paperless statements if possible, to ensure this does not happen in the future. Keep an eye out for fraudulent activity on your credit reports, and closely review future bank and credit card statements for fraudulent transactions as well.

Other mail safety tips include getting a locking mailbox or a P.O. box, dropping off sensitive outgoing mail like checks in USPS collection boxes (instead of your curbside mailbox), and having your mail held while you’re out of town.