Several people in the attorney general's identity fraud unit no longer have mail delivered to their home because of what they've seen in their work, Torgensen said. They now use post office boxes.

But not even those are safe. Thieves have been bold enough to pry open safety deposit boxes in post offices. That led to the Postal Service locking at night all but five branches around the valley, Tuckett said. Surveillance cameras monitor those offices.

Torgensen himself was a victim of mail theft. He received a telephone call a couple of years ago from a postal inspector who told him, "I'm looking at your mail."

Some letters destined for the Torgensen home were among a batch of mail stolen from a postal truck. The thief turned out to be a drug addict.

"Nobody's immune. That's the hard part," he said. "You can do everything right and still be a victim."

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