Surveillance video captured a woman ransacking mailboxes in Lakeside, but the real surprise came when one homeowner looked inside one of the mailboxes and found neighbors' mail.
Around 10 p.m. Saturday, video shows a car pulling up along a home on Valle Vista. A woman climbs out of the passenger seat and goes through all three mailboxes.
Later discovered inside that mailbox is a handful of mail belonging to neighbors, apparently left behind by a thief who had no use for the mail.
Half of it meant for Frances Axelson.
“That makes me angry. You never know what's coming in the mail, or where it's coming from,” said Axelson.
Axelson says she was expecting her tax returns from a previous year any day now.
“I haven't heard from them, and now I'm going to follow up on it. It concerns me,” said Axelson.
The theft played out after a rash of other mail thefts in the area in the past few weeks.
In a few cases, locking mailboxes were ripped off their post.
These incidents are nothing new this time of year. Experts say for identity thieves, this is shopping season.
With W-2s and other tax forms flooding mailboxes, make sure your mail doesn't sit in your mailbox.
If you have any information on the case, contact the Postal Inspection Service.
