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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The MaiLocker offers solution for the double whammy: mailbox bashing and theft of your IRS refund check!

(LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas) – Just as sure as spring turns into summer each year, so too comes the season for mailbox bashing. Some kids armed with baseball bats and too much time on their hands take late-night joyrides with the express purpose of beheading your mailbox post.

Replacing smashed mailboxes can be exasperating, but that should be the least of your worries.

Columnist, author and nationally syndicated radio personality Mitch Albom commented on a recent program that if he were a thief, he knows where he would focus his attention this summer: home mailboxes!

All of us should heed Albom’s warning, especially now that the IRS is preparing to mail millions of refund checks averaging between $300 and $600 to everyone who paid income tax last year.

We shouldn’t be surprised that someone would consider stealing those government checks. Robert Bethel, the chief spokesperson for the criminal investigative arm of the U.S. Postal Service, says mail theft “is probably the No. 1 type of white-collar crime in the country today.”

Yet having your tax refund check stolen is not even the worst thing that can happen to you. Today’s lazy criminals can wreak long-term havoc with one visit to your mailbox. By stealing one outgoing bill payment or an incoming credit-card application, a credit-card replacement or newly printed checks, a thief can steal your identity.

Postal authorities in cities and towns of all sizes have issued bulletins about identity theft, a problem that has now grown to epidemic proportions. Inspector Bethel warns, “You can be victimized and not know you’re being victimized for many months. Then the hammer falls. And it can take years to clear things up.”

Identity theft involves stealing someone’s personal identifying information: name, address, date of birth, social security number, credit card data, bank account numbers and/or driver’s license numbers. Criminals who steal this personal information will use it to fraudulently obtain credit, money, goods, services and other property, with the unpaid bills damaging YOUR credit!

“A thief will commit crimes including: opening phony bank accounts, establishing insurance policies, stealing from established bank accounts, obtaining unauthorized credit cards, applying for car or house loans and leasing apartments with false names,” says Robert Bryant, National Insurance Crime Bureau president.

It could be quite a while before you realize you’re a victim of identity theft, because the thieves will have bills sent to another address. Many victims discover their credit has been destroyed only when they apply for credit for a new car, home or perhaps a different credit card.

Judy Maran of Little Rock, Arkansas, replaced mailboxes time and again because of vandalism, but got serious about the problem when she discovered mail was being stolen. Six years ago she fought back by inventing a sturdy mailbox that locks automatically after all the letters and packages are deposited – The MaiLocker™. The MaiLocker™ is fabricated from 14-gauge steel – as thick as a highway guardrail – so a mailbox basher’s bat will barely leave a dent and a mail thief cannot bully his way inside. The MaiLocker™'s pickproof lock comes with two keys for you to use to retrieve your mail. The MaiLocker™ has a built-in mail slot, mounts on a standard 4x4 wood post, and comes in regular and extra-large sizes.

Maran, a mail-security expert, offers these tips for deterring mail and identity theft:

§ Don’t leave outgoing mail in your roadside mailbox. Raising that red flag alerts thieves, not just the postal carrier. Instead, deposit mail in a post-office drop box, preferably inside the post office.

§ If you don’t have a locked mailbox, promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. If you’re not at home during the day, ask a neighbor to pick up your mail.

§ If a check, credit card or other valuable piece of mail doesn’t arrive when you are expecting it, contact the issuing agency or person immediately.

§ Have the post office hold your mail while you are away for a length of time.

§ Purchase a self-locking or a padlockable mailbox, or consider renting a post-office box.

§ Start a neighborhood watch program to keep an eye on mailboxes and report suspected mail thieves.

Maran says the invention of The MaiLocker™ has given her peace of mind. ”Our mail is always safe, even when we travel and let it accumulate in The MaiLocker™ while we are away.”

She and her customers won’t have to worry about receiving their tax refund checks either, thanks to her invention, Maran added.

More information about The MaiLocker™ may be obtained on the company’s website (www.jandmar.com) or by calling toll free (800) 298-7703.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FINALLY THE WORLD HAS A BETTER MAILBOX -- VANDAL- AND THIEF-PROOF
(LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas) -- Judy and Dick Maran of Little Rock, Arkansas, replaced their mailbox time and again because of mailbox vandalism. "The boxes were bashed and ripped from the pedestal, mail was stolen, and even one entire mailbox was stolen," Judy Maran said. "And we live in a good neighborhood!"

The Marans are not alone. In Washington state, mail theft has exploded to the point that state lawmakers recently passed legislation increasing the amount of jail time and fines for anyone convicted of stealing mail. During testimony before the House, it was pointed out, "In some neighborhoods citizens are offering money to friends and family to watch their house and collect mail each day just to ensure that it is not stolen."

Postal officials report that the city of Arlington, Texas, has been hit particularly hard by organized theft rings. In Indiana, complaints of mail theft in Plymouth and Argos led to an investigation by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department. A man in Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with fraudulently obtaining a credit card stolen from a mailbox in north High Point.

Law enforcement agencies say the crimes of mail theft and mailbox vandalism are time-consuming to pursue and often go unsolved. Officers spend hours taking reports, but even if they can come up with a suspect, the crime is difficult to prove unless a suspect is caught in the act.

With more serious crimes demanding the officers’ attention, cases of mailbox vandalism and mail theft can be a low priority. The Marans suspected they were missing mail, and their suspicions were confirmed when a woman who lives ten miles from them called to say their canceled checks were blowing across her front yard. Over time, the Marans missed some uncashed checks, bank statements and some bills.

"When we called the post office for help, they asked us who the culprit was who was bashing the boxes and stealing the mail," Judy Maran said. "Naturally, if we knew that, we could have put a stop to it. "But the post office is not in a position to monitor mailboxes, so they suggested that we rent a post office box. That meant we would have to go to the post office to get our mail every day.">

There had to be a better solution.

The Marans hunted for a mailbox that would lock automatically after mail was deposited -- one that would also hold packages and stand up to the bashings of a vandal’s baseball bat. After months of searching through catalogs and hardware, discount, wholesale and home stores, they found that no one mailbox met all the criteria. So, out of necessity, they did more research and invented The MaiLocker™.

Each aspect of The MaiLocker™ design improves upon the conventional mailbox and reflects the Marans’ commitment to making a superior product.  Made of 14-gauge steel (as thick as highway guardrails) and designed with a peaked roof for added strength, The MaiLocker™ stands up to the blows of a baseball bat. The bat bounces off The MaiLocker™ or leaves just a tiny dent, spoiling the vandal’s fun and perhaps leaving the basher with two sore hands.

Further, The MaiLocker™ locks automatically after the carrier opens the door, places in the mail and packages and then shuts the door securely. A pick-proof lock insures that the mail is protected until the owner unlocks the box with one of the two keys provided. Powder coating -- an environmentally safe method of providing an extremely durable finish -- protects The MaiLocker™ from rust, offers resistance to ultraviolet rays and salt spray, and helps The MaiLocker™ retain that ‘new look’ for years.

The designers recessed The MaiLocker™ door so it will not freeze shut and gave the floor channeled running-board decking to help keep the mail dry. The MaiLocker™ comes in an attractive, subtly textured black finish with a sturdy red flag and a choice of two sizes. The regular size, 8 1/2" wide x 11" high x 18 1/2" deep, is large enough for such magazines as Redbook or The New Yorker to lay flat. The Extra Large size, 12" wide x 16" high x 20" deep, can accommodate substantial packages.

The The MaiLocker™ mounts on a standard 4" x 4" wooden post or on an optional 1/8" thick steel post.

The The MaiLocker™ solves today’s two big mailbox problems -- vandalism and theft. The MaiLocker™ also delivers the peace of mind that comes from knowing mail and packages are safe and secure until retrieved with a key.

Furthermore, The MaiLocker™ carries a limited lifetime warranty for the original owner against severe damage caused by vandals and defects in workmanship, so it’s the last mailbox anyone ever has to buy.

One postal carrier in Little Rock, Arkansas, says she hopes all of the patrons on her route get The MaiLocker™. "I feel so good about leaving mail in a sturdy box that locks and keeps it secure and safe until retrieved with a key."

Judy Maran says their invention has given her peace of mind. "We built a better mailbox, and now it’s time to share it with the world."

More information about The MaiLocker™ may be obtained on the company’s website (www.jandmar.com) or by calling (800) 298-7703.

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