On May 5, at about 6:39 a.m., the Santa Barbara Police Department was dispatched to 411 E. Canon Perdido St. regarding the vandalism of a blue United States Postal Service collection bin on the sidewalk at that address. All mailed items with the exception of one envelope had been stolen.

The Santa Barbara Police Department informed the United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector’s Office and the Santa Barbara Main Postal Office of the incident. Based on USPS records, the collection bin was last emptied by USPS personnel at 3:30 p.m. May 4.

USPS planned to remove the vandalized collection bin by end of the day on May 5. USPS has also submitted work orders to replace the collection bin with one that is newer and more secure.

The Santa Barbara Police Department asks that anyone who deposited mail in the USPS collection bin at 411 E. Canon Perdido St. between 3:30 p.m. May 4, and 6:30 a.m. May 5, to take the necessary precautions to prevent identity theft or other fraud.

If you or your business deposited any mail containing a check or other banking information, contact your financial institution at your earliest convenience to prevent potential fraud.

Anyone who is a victim of fraud due to this incident or other events may make an online report by visiting https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/police/online/report_crime/default.asp. The  USPS requests any incidents of mail theft be reported to 1-877-876-2455 or https://www.uspis.gov/.