Red Deer RCMP are investigating break-ins and theft of mail at two community mailboxes in the Inglewood neighbourhood shortly after midnight on March 3.

At 12:15 am on March 3, RCMP responded to a report of a man and a woman breaking into the community mailbox near the intersection of Irish street and Ivany Close and stealing the mail in it.

RCMP responded immediately but the suspects were gone when police arrived.

Further investigation determined that a second community mailbox at the corner of Irish street and Irving Crescent had also been broken into and emptied of mail.

The male and female suspects were seen driving away in a mini-van.

RCMP urge affected citizens in the Inglewood area to take steps to protect themselves from identity theft:

· If you think your mail may have contained replacement credit or bank cards, or credit or bank statements that could be used to attempt fraud on your accounts, contact your bank or credit card company immediately.
· Are you expecting personal identification such as a renewed driver’s license or other government-issued identification? Contact the issuing agency immediately.
· Is this the time when you would expect to receive utility bills? Contact the appropriate companies to ensure that you don’t accidentally miss payment. Stolen bills can also be used by fraudsters in attempts to steal your identity, open new accounts or get cash loans.
· RCMP urge people to check their mail every day to lessen the risk of losing important pieces of mail.

Learn more about protecting yourself from fraud by visiting the identity theft section of the RCMP website at http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/id-theft-vol-eng.htm and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/protectyourself-protegezvous/index-eng.htm.

If you observe suspicious activity in progress at a mailbox, call 911.

If you have information about this investigation, please contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575.

If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or report it online at www.tipsubmit.com.

If your information leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000.