AUSTIN — Unusual mail thefts in Austin are affecting more than just one community.
After KVUE first reported that someone appeared on security camera using a master key to break into the cluster mailboxes in the Lewis Mountain Ranch neighborhood in Southwest Austin, we received dozens of reports of additional mail thefts in nearby Circle C North.
“We asked, ‘Hey, what’s going on with the mail?’ And that's when the mailman said someone has a master key,” Lisa Casey, a Circle C North homeowner, said.
Casey said her mail was stolen the week she was out of town after he mother passed away, right before Christmas. Now, she’s stopped her mail delivery entirely because she doesn’t trust the cluster box to be safe knowing someone still has a key to break in.
“The post [office] people just keep telling us to check your mail every day. Well, that's not going to solve it,” Casey said.
It’s a similar story for fellow Circle C North homeowner Mandy Hurta. She said her mail has been stolen several times, and she’s extremely frustrated it’s still being delivered when she said the post office is aware someone has a stolen or forged master key.
"How will we know when it's safe to have mail delivered because I personally have halted my mail," Hurta said.
KVUE tried to reach the Oak Hill Post Office manager for comment, but he said he would not speak. He referred us to the Austin Postmaster for comment, but they have not responded.
Both Casey and Hurta have contacted the USPS Office of the Inspector General to report the thefts and an inspector is investigating.