r/Whatisthis • u/Master-Cartoonist-41 • Sep 04 '21
Covert sticker on my mailbox keyhole every month? Open
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u/CostcoVodkaFancier Sep 04 '21
Does your mailbox number correspond to your unit number? If so, you might have solved it yourself!
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u/Master-Cartoonist-41 Sep 04 '21
The numbers do correspond! So that’s my best guess.
But this is so strange to me, are burglars really so methodical and committed to doing this every month? Or is this more nosy landlord style behavior?
Very odd
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u/TsarGermo Sep 04 '21
Man people are methodical about literally everything. Go look at the random subs on reddit. Criminals are no different, I would know.
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Sep 04 '21
This guy spores.
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u/Psychowitz Sep 04 '21
It’s actually a felony to tamper with mailboxes not designated to your home address. Ask management if they have video surveillance over the mailbox and see who’s placing these stickers on the locks.
If they do, contact local authorities. If not, request they add a camera. If they don’t add cameras, I’d look into moving. That’s a security and personal safety issue.
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u/YakTimelyFishing Sep 04 '21
There are no cameras according to OP. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a stakeout every month to catch the bad guy.
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u/SuperSecretMoonBase Sep 04 '21
I recommend the movie Bin-Jip or 3-Iron in English. It's about a guy who moves around from house to house living in people's empty places while they're away on vacation and repaying them by doing chores and stuff until he comes across a house that isn't actually empty
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u/__redruM Sep 04 '21
are burglars really so methodical and committed to doing this every month?
No, there’s more than likely a reason for this that reddit hasn’t guessed. And either the mailman is doing it or building management is. If both deny doing it, then start looking for a more nefarious reason.
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u/sepsis_wurmple Sep 04 '21
Why would either do that. I live in the area and have the same thing happen
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u/sepsis_wurmple Sep 04 '21
Yes. Many units here are vacant now. We had a guy go in the vacant apartments and steal appliances. I commented on another post with the guys description.
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u/Astrobelter Sep 04 '21
100% thieves monitoring who is home and not home.
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u/Metalbass5 Sep 04 '21
Just want to add that this might be an attempt to jam the pins in the lock by way of you forcing the sticker inside unknowingly.
Our building has an issue with mailbox break-ins. People looking for parcel locker keys or valuable mail.
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Sep 04 '21
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u/denoot2 Sep 04 '21
Bevauce you need to push it in with the correct key, in hopes that the pins in the lock set themselves in the correct position
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u/Cactus286 Sep 04 '21
It's a simple keyway and any half decent picker would be able to open it in 30 seconds. It would actually be more of a pain it the sticker lodged in there. Much more information comes from how often the sticker is removed.
Reporting it and asking for a camera installed in the mailroom is the first step toward a safety increase.
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u/Metalbass5 Sep 04 '21
You're giving people too much credit.In our building someone tried to use scotch tape to keep the exterior doors open. Not all thieves are clever; just the successful ones.
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u/sepsis_wurmple Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 04 '21
They don't have the key..
I don't get the downvotes. The 'robbers' don't have the key to push it in to jam the pins. Are people that vacant minded?
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u/SlMPS0N Sep 04 '21
The Sticky Bandits.
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Sep 04 '21
The Keyhole Crime Crew
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u/Zeranimi Sep 04 '21
You should probably let the police know about this
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u/wmass Sep 04 '21
The Postal Service has their own police force and might take more interest.
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u/Big_Cryptographer_16 Sep 04 '21
Newman!
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u/allmysecretsss Sep 04 '21
Wow that’s fucking scary.
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
Well postage is federal so it makes enough sense. Imagine if government mail is stolen, they'd need a police force to go out and deal due justice (cause we don't want to put more stress on actual police)
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Sep 04 '21
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
I don't appreciate your reply, the generalization is dangerously misinformational and not needed.
Policing is a necessary part of any social complex, and unfortunately there are psychological side effects to holding a position of authority, and some people are influenced to abuse that authority. Saying "police got to be out there raping and shooting minorities" is extremely harmful because it portrays the idea that all police willfully abuse their powers to harm the citizens they are paid to protect, which is absolutely untrue. The majority of officers do not support the idea that their co-workers should be able to avoid punishment for their crimes. The media constantly says "cop killed minority" without all the context needed to properly view the situation, and often times they fail to recognize that certain minorities are dealing with higher levels of gang related crimes that lead to more police interventions.
Yes, some cops have unjustly killed, raped, abused, and intimidated people which is terrible. But the majority of police don't support these ideas, and don't want any association with those outliers.
Please stop generalizing EVERYONE for the crimes of the FEW.
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u/WhatsaMataHari_ Sep 04 '21
You write "Some police have unjustly... raped.. ".Huh?
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 04 '21
I don't mean that there is a just way to rape, rape is illegal no matter the case, it's just the best way I can portray that their actions aren't ok. • Unjust, meaning unjustified or unjustifiable btw.
I could not and would not support someones actions if they rape someone. That goes against my beliefs. So no, I don't support rapists (I don't know why I need to explain this, as I don't think anyone supports rapists...)
To add to this also, I am a victim of multiple sexual assaults, and I would never wish that upon anyone else ever.
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Sep 04 '21
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
The only person being a stooge is yourself... I'm sitting here calmly advocating for my personal opinion based on factual information, and you are calling me names like a child who doesn't know how to handle their emotions... Grow up and handle yourself with some dignity.
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Sep 04 '21
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
Stop posting amp links they are not secure like regular links. Also, just because there are currently laws in some places that for some reason or another give any individual immunity doesn't mean I support that. I support the officers who are being victimised dispite not doing anything themselves. You are forcing the blame on people that didn't do anything.
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
Also, to add to this again; imagine you were a teacher for example (another job where we often hear on the media about sexual assult cases). Now imagine one teacher at your school (workplace) raped a student (let's say they are all college students 18+ for the sake of legality). Would it not upset you then if people started saying "teachers gotta be out there raping students" would that not anger you since you are also a teacher who hasn't commited any crimes???
I just don't understand where you get off on being agressive towards me for trying to support innocent people.
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Sep 04 '21
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
Who said I was defending AMERICAN cops, I'm just defending people who choose to protect and serve whatever nation they represent.
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
And to add to this, of course my profile is all hobbies lmao, it's Reddit, a place full of communities. I'm not a lawyer I'm a regular person who doesn't believe we should judge all people harshly just because some people like them happen to do harsh things (based on their personal bad decisions.)
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u/pm_ur_duck_pics Sep 04 '21
Or the thieves are targeting the home, and using the mailbox as a means to choose their victims.
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u/daddy5734 Sep 04 '21
Same concept as top commenter suggested, just phrased differently. The whole point of this method is that if the sticker is there for a long time the resident is probably gone, so whether it's targeted at one individual resident or not is irrelevant based on the fact that many boxes keyholes have been covered.
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u/nedeta Sep 04 '21
so... OP should peal off all of them at once? Also call cops and check them for prints?
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u/Eleventy22 Sep 04 '21
It may also be the management confirming there aren’t any squatters or dead tenants
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u/cara27hhh Sep 04 '21
or making sure their past-due bills are paid
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u/3percentinvisible Sep 04 '21
Or that the lockers are in an area where underused boxes get the locks seized up or similar and mgmt put these on as a preventative
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u/Master-Cartoonist-41 Sep 04 '21
Management here is LAZY AF. The outer door has a keypad lock on a glass door, but the panes got smashed and the keypad is broken now and anybody can come in.
So, I don’t think management is doing this because they don’t really seem to care what’s going on over here and don’t really prioritize security in the building.
If it’s not thieves, maybe it could be USPS doing this? Or nosy neighbors?
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u/3percentinvisible Sep 04 '21
Actually, usps is a good shout. Theres a few reasons theyll want to check mail is being collected (one of the most altruistic being alerting that mail is piling up and somebody should check on the resident. I don't know if it's the same in the US, but it's not a 'service' in the UK, just a morally suitable thing that posties point out someone could be ill or dead)
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u/sepsis_wurmple Sep 04 '21
They send a letter to see if it's being used. Also if the box is full they return to sender everything a week after it gets too full to deliver.
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Sep 04 '21
Yes. It seems like a way management or the post Office can monitor if someone id getting their mail.
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u/sepsis_wurmple Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 05 '21
That's pretty easily discovered by monitoring your vacant units. It's summer. 2 days dead and you'd smell it for 5 blocks. Why would they tamper with the mailbox, potentially breaking it when they can just put a notice on the door and see if it's removed. Or text their tenant 'you alive bro'
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u/momo9091 Sep 04 '21
Maybe a lame suggestion. Ask management to check cctv footages. ❤
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u/cara27hhh Sep 04 '21
someone is testing how often you access your mail
counting how many hours/days/weeks from the sticker being applied to the sticker being removed
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u/divertss Sep 04 '21
Every time you see them, remove them all. Warn the neighbors.
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Sep 04 '21
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u/divertss Sep 04 '21
So you will sit by the door all day and night every day? Seems unrealistic. I have to go to work, sleep, shower, among others things.
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u/Greedyguts Sep 04 '21
I recommend the movie Bin-Jip or 3-Iron in English. It's about a guy who moves around from house to house living in people's empty places while they're away on vacation and repaying them by doing chores and stuff until he comes across a house that isn't actually empty
A more expensive option would be a directional M18 claymore mine wired to the front door. It might take out half of your floor, but it should solve the issue. Unfortunately, you would be in prison if your survived the explosion.
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u/spagbolflyingmonster Sep 04 '21
bruh why would u bait them lmao. what if they have guns too dumbass,, also u can't watch all day everyday. but besides that, why tf would u want to kill someone lol even if they were thieves I wouldn't go out of my way to make a scenario in which I can kill them justifiably. that's fucked up bro.
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u/Ego1111 Sep 04 '21
I mean he definitely should have used a claymore, wolf traps, all the Home alone traps as well as a napalm drone to put them on fire. /s
Yeah life’s not a movie, just buy a camera even a false one would do and put it in front of the mailboxes, that should do the trick, and no one needs to be held at gun point this way…
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u/pmkittiesdammit Sep 04 '21
I mean if they're breaking into people's living quarters with guns then they're forfeiting their life already.
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u/spagbolflyingmonster Sep 04 '21
I do agree that breaking into someone's house rightfully has dire consequences, up to and including death, but this situation seemed more like deliberately baiting someone so that you could kill them. I'm debating the motives, not the action,, it's just how horny to kill they were being. reveling in the thought of being able to shoot someone with impunity
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u/13toros13 Sep 04 '21
Bad advice. Putting committed criminals in unexpected and compromising situations is just plain unwise. You dont know what they’re on, how badly they want to avoid jail, how many of them they are, et cet.
And you DEFINITELY dont know what they are capable of one on one - and I suggest you are over estimating your own willingness and capability to confront the various scenarios that would result…. At the same time encouraging others to make the same mistake lol
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u/MainePirate Sep 04 '21
Best idea ever. Remember to watch ‘home alone’ to get some booby trap ideas
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u/lemonlady7 Sep 04 '21
If OP followed this advice and authorities happened to find this post, that could be categorized as premeditation since OP put themselves in a position where they intended to put a criminal in a position where they were armed with a weapon.
Also, OP can’t be home 24/7, nor do they want to be followed into their apartment or otherwise caught off guard by intruders.
I’m not sure if this comment was serious or not, but on the off chance that it is, I needed to know that OP could see this and not make that decision lmao.
OP, notify your neighbors and the leasing office/property management office (whatever it’s called) and just keep removing the stickers as you see them to help prevent yourself and your neighbors from being victims of theft.
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u/mseuro Sep 04 '21
Leave a note above the mailboxes for the neighbors and whoever’s casing. They’ll move on.
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u/IAmMarwood Sep 04 '21
Came here to say this.
Warn all the neighbours then leave a big clear sign saying “We have spotted tampering with the mailboxes and are monitoring the area”, hopefully they’ll move on.
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u/3percentinvisible Sep 04 '21
I would suggest it's less likely to be potential thieves monitoring. Anyone sophisticated enough to consider this, and to go with a nicely shaped sticky tab to be less noticeable, would also know that everyone who does use the locker will notice it. It's unavoidable in that placement.
So they'd go with something similar and put the tape over the gap between door and surround lower corner, or on the hinge where opening the door you're less likely to notice it, but it's still a telltale the doors been opened
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u/whatnowagain Sep 04 '21
It could be a legitimate reason to monitor, right from the post office, for keeping track of active mailboxes or who is missing keys.
I only say that because I saw it mentioned that happens around the same time every month. And I had to do a similar trick with some lockers in a hotel gym to figure out which ones were being used or just locked shut. I had to leave it almost a week before security would open any of them while half the lockers were just out of commission.
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Sep 04 '21
You could put a motion activated camera in your mailbox if you often get important things stolen.
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u/BlackCobra279 Sep 04 '21
This could be the post office monitoring boxes to see which ones are being used, for billing purposes. I'd talk to your post office about it.
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u/MesabiRanger Sep 04 '21
The PO only bill for boxes physically located within the post office, not for boxes at a residence!
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Sep 04 '21
Putting up a hidden camera would be a great way to see who's doing it. But I would check and make sure that's legal first. I don't know what the laws regarding that kind of thing are in your area
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Sep 04 '21
Well, you just created a whole crowd of people who will now buy stickers and start sticking them on mailboxes, just to screw with people.
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u/kiwiyaa Sep 04 '21
The USPS has hotlines for exactly this, to report suspicious tampering with mailboxes. Look up their number in your area or go to uspis.gov (US Postal Inspection Service) and call a helpline there.
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u/ThetaGamma2 Sep 04 '21
USPIS seems like it'd be a no-nothing agency but they are surprisingly similar to Wu-Tang in that they are nothin' to fuck with.
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u/Glumbicus Sep 04 '21
Also to be fair, This person likely lives in your neighborhood. Because it would be more difficult for a stranger to go around the mailbox area frequently to check, without raising suspicion…
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u/DrunkxAstronaut Sep 04 '21
I don’t suppose bad managers like that would happen to have a camera in the mailbox area?
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Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 11 '21
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u/Master-Cartoonist-41 Sep 04 '21
Key is still the same, no other changes besides fresh clear sticker every month
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u/spirit_desire Sep 04 '21
Perhaps it’s your landlord checking to see if anyone is renting out their unit as an AirBnB? Unused mailboxes would indicate the people coming and going are not tenants.
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u/ThEthmoid Sep 04 '21
I found this in my search. 3 year old thread I think and the sticker was green in their case. Maybe something useful for you. Be safe. https://www.reddit.com/r/homesecurity/comments/7j7795/comment/dr47odi/
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u/agroyle Sep 04 '21
Could also be for a dust or sand preventative measure. We put tape on our locks when we are about to have a hurricane.
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u/blue-hell Sep 04 '21
maybe from the PO replacing the cylinder (key hole), stickers on a new ones keep out dirt before installation, ask the PO
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u/Zero88 Sep 04 '21
At an educated guess id say it's to see which mailboxes are being used, legitimately or maliciously is TBD!
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u/RememberNoGoodDeed Sep 04 '21
I’d print a photo with the sticker and an explanation alerting all other tenants of this situation, and post it by the mailboxes. Wouldn’t be surprised if someone removed it, so I’d just keep putting them up. I’d alert the post office and building owners/management or HOA.
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u/Master-Cartoonist-41 Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 04 '21
I find this clear plastic sticker sealing over the keyhole for my mailbox at the beginning of every month. The neighbors have one too.
It seems sketchy, like maybe somebody is monitoring the apartments in the building to see who might be out of town??
Edit, extra info below:
Management is very lazy here, no cameras, outer door has been broken for months and they ignore my complaints about that.
Also, for context, we live in south beach Miami, highly touristic heavy traffic neighborhood.