GROVELAND, Fla. – Mail thieves are targeting Central Florida neighborhoods - and new federal data reveals exactly where they are striking most. News 6 analyzed data from the United States Postal Inspection Service, identifying the ZIP codes with the highest rates of reported mail theft in the region and what happens to the people who get caught.
In April, Holly Hill police arrested Cari Miller, 36, in connection to mail thefts at 63 addresses.
About a week later, Yania Romero, 40, and Yohan Mayo, 36, were arrested for stealing mail in Volusia County, according to Port Orange Police. Court documents stated the vehicle registered to Romero was identified from nearby cameras where mail was stolen in Seminole County in 2024 and in Orange County in 2025.
Those recent arrests prompted a deeper look into where mail theft is reported. News 6 requested data from the federal government for 2025 and 2026, broken down by ZIP code.
We uncovered the 34736 ZIP code- covering Groveland- reported 18 mail thefts last year, the most in Central Florida, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Other high-incident ZIP codes were spread across Osceola and Polk counties.
Six mail thefts were reported in the 34758 (Kissimmee/Poinciana) and 33897 (Davenport) ZIP codes. Search the map below to find how many thefts, if any, were reported in your ZIP code in 2025 and 2026.
[INTERACTIVE: Click to see where mail thefts were reported]
Reports (2025)
Artificial intelligence was used to create this map.
Credit: Perplexity
Rick Johnsten, Postal Inspector, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, told News 6 criminals are looking for checks, gift cards, as well as replacement credit and debit cards in the mail.
“When it comes to credit cards and debit cards, you know, once they get them, they try to spend them as quickly as they can before you notice that they’ve been stolen,” said Johnsten. “With checks, they have to alter them usually to whatever name they want, if they can, and have that person deposit it.”
This is called check washing — when criminals change the payee names and the dollar amounts on checks and fraudulently deposit them.
Mail theft is not a new crime, but Johnsten told News 6 it is getting more elaborate.
“They’re using, you know, online technologies and chat rooms and stuff like that to sell some of these items,” he said.
According to Johnsten, criminals sometimes sell the checks they stole.
“The safest way still to communicate with other people is the mail,” Johnsten said, “There are some bad actors out there that do occasionally get in the way of mail delivery and we investigate those incidents thoroughly.”
News 6 discovered 30 mail theft cases have been prosecuted in Central Florida by the United States Middle District Court of Florida over the past three years.
Some of the defendants ended up with probation. Jordan Jax and Tarod Goodman Jr. were sentenced to three years’ probation. According to court documents, they used a postal key to access USPS collection boxes in Marion County and steal mail. Prosecutors claimed both men stole mail, then altered and cashed checks for themselves.
Others were sentenced to years in prison. Jamel Williams was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Levar Baker was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison for the same offenses. Prosecutors stated the men stole mail, altered checks, and then deposited those checks at banks across Central Florida.
There are things you can do to help prevent mail theft. Johnsten recommends checking your mail every day, leave nothing inside your mailbox. You can also sign up for Informed Delivery, a free program by the USPS which sends updates and pictures of your incoming mail.