Keep Mail Safe Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise to bring attention the growing mail theft crime in the United States that is known as mail fishing. Mail fishing is the process in which thieves ``fish'' mail out of blue collection boxes. Specifically, criminals use a contraption as simple as a string connected to a sticky substance to ``fish'' out envelopes from these mailboxes, then open the letters to steal people's personal information such as bank, credit card, and Social Security numbers. Tragically, this has resulted in many incidents of identity theft and bank fraud.

In the last year alone, there were 3,000 incidents of mail fishing in New York City. These criminals also engage in check washing to rewrite the name of the payee and/or the amount. Many of my constituents became victims of bank fraud, some losing thousands of dollars, as a result of having their mail fished. That is why, in 2017, I made the push to have the United States Postal Service retrofit all standard mail collection boxes in Queens, NY. Currently, 77 percent of these mailboxes in Queens have been retrofitted. As a result, mail fishing crimes have significantly decreased in Queens. However, as only some mail collection boxes are retrofitted, mail fishing crime shifts to regions without this security feature.

Madam Speaker, it is unacceptable that our constituents cannot safely leave their mail in the United States Postal Service mail collection boxes.

This is why I am introducing the ``Keep Mail Safe Act''. This bill would require the Postmaster General to conduct a study on retrofitting all standard mail collection boxes in the United States with narrow mail slots. Retrofitting all mail boxes would deter and prevent incidents of mail fishing, ensure the security of our constituents' mail, and restore their trust in utilizing the United States Postal Service.

As mail fishing incidents are on the rise, our diligence in protecting our constituent's mail is more important than ever. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in the fight against mail fishing.

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