A postal inspector is investigating theft allegations after multiple Tufts students received opened letters with missing monies, a Boston Post Office spokesman said yesterday. A string of complaints and evidence collected since Valentine's Day indicate that the alleged thefts took place off campus, according to Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) Lieutenant Charles Lonero.
"The investigation found that the letters were opened prior to arriving at the University," Lonero said. That conclusion was reached after the TUPD sent decoy letters through the system, and no money was stolen.
Subsequent security upgrades included more locks, a more secure sorting procedure, and a reduction in the number of people who have access to each mailbag, according to Support Services Manager Sheila Chisholm.
Sophomore Daniel Gold was sent a taped envelope containing a Valentine's Day card and a $10 bill via US mail. The envelope arrived with broken tape and only the stain of the missing bill remained in the card. He brought the matter to the attention of Boston Postal Inspector Moira Sanning, who has been assigned to the case.
Gold said that he is working with Sanning to determine where the money may have been stolen. "She's been really helpful so far," he said. "She said that she might try sending me money from different places, and seeing if the money is stolen."
Other students have reported thefts from their mail, most around Valentine's Day. Lonero said that the TUPD has received additional complaints since Valentine's Day, although only in isolated incidents.
The Boston Post Office declined to reveal how it plans to uncover the source of the alleged thefts, saying that publicizing such information would be detrimental to its investigation.
Gold said that if more students submit complaints to the Post Office, there will be a better chance that something is done to prevent further theft and to reclaim the stolen money. "If more people file a complaint when this happens... the Post Office will become more serious and more likely to change," he said.
The Medford Post Office directs students who have mail theft complaints to fill out a complaint form, which allows them to receive reimbursement - a recourse which Gold took advantage of. Tufts Mail Services told Gold that theft within the Tufts system is unlikely because the staff does not have much contact with the mail, nor does it have much time to go through it.
