A North Austin investigation led police to recover thousands of pieces of suspected stolen mail, about 400 suspected stolen bank cards and 17 postal keys, according to the Austin Police Department.

APD said officers arrested a 42-year-old woman on August 25 after locating her vehicle near an apartment complex in the Tech Ridge Boulevard area. Police said the arrest followed an investigation connected to an outstanding warrant for credit or bank-card abuse.

The department said a search of the vehicle found approximately 400 suspected stolen bank cards, nearly 300 gift cards and two counterfeit keys of a type used to open cluster mailboxes. Officers later obtained a warrant to search an apartment.

What Austin police say they recovered

According to APD's September 1 account, the combined searches recovered:

  • thousands of pieces of suspected stolen mail;
  • hundreds of checks;
  • approximately 400 suspected stolen bank cards;
  • nearly 300 gift cards believed by police to have been bought with stolen cards;
  • 17 postal keys and two counterfeit mailbox keys;
  • approximately two dozen suspected stolen or fraudulently created identification documents; and
  • two ounces of a substance police described as suspected methamphetamine.

The woman was booked on the outstanding bank-card warrant and on additional charges listed by APD. Those charges are allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Police said further charges could follow while investigators examine the material and try to establish the full scale of the suspected offences.

Steps residents can take to protect their mail

APD advised residents to collect delivered mail promptly, place mail on hold when away and consider secure electronic statements. People should regularly review bank accounts, cleared checks and credit reports for activity they do not recognise.

Possible warning signs include damage to shared mailboxes, unexpected missing mail, unfamiliar people repeatedly lingering around mail rooms or alerts about accounts and purchases a resident did not open or make.

Suspicious activity around a mailbox can be reported to police. Fraudulent transactions should also be raised promptly with the relevant bank or card provider.

The figures and case details in this report are attributed to the Austin Police Department's official statement. Austin Gazette has not used the booking photograph or evidence photographs published with that statement.