SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Two men are facing seven years in prison after robbing mail carriers at gunpoint in Michigan, demanding master keys that can access postal mailboxes.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report:
Officials say 31-year-old Michael Lamar Smith-Ellis of Detroit and 33-year-old Terrance Tucker of Phoenix, Arizona, targeted USPS mail carriers in September and October 2023. The Taylor robbery occurred on September 25, 2023, and the Northville robbery took place on October 24, 2023.
"It's unacceptable to threaten any of our mail carriers or the sanctity of the mail stream, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law to make sure that we keep our employees safe," said Mark Inglett, a USPS strategic communications specialist.
Inglett says it's one of 3,000 arrests since 2023, part of a nationwide crackdown on mail theft and violent crime by USPS and the United States Postal Inspection Service called Project Safe Delivery.
Previous coverage from October 2023: 2 suspects charged in mail carrier robberies in metro Detroit
"Over the last five years, the Postal Service has strengthened its commitment to connecting the nation and ensuring the sanctity of the mail stream but unfortunately, a recent surge in mail theft and violent attacks on our mail carriers has threatened this connection," Inglett said.
The U.S. Postal Service reports a 27% decrease in letter carrier robberies since implementing Project Safe Delivery, with 1,200 arrests for mail theft in 2024 alone.
The schemes they're seeing mainly around metro Detroit include "brushing" scams and smishing.
"A brushing scheme, as simple as it sounds, is you may receive a package that you didn't ask for. It's unsolicited. And then in that package, there may be a QR code. They'll try to obtain personal information from you when you scan that QR code," Inglett said.
Texts or email smishing appearing to be from USPS have been popping up across Michigan, notifying recipients of deliveries with supposed tracking links, but these are scams designed to steal personal information.
"I almost fell for it 'cause I had a package that had disappeared in delivery and I had requested tracking updates on it and I got a text. I clicked the link and I started to put in my information then it asked me to pay like $1.25 and then I was like that's fishy," metro Detroit resident Zach New said.
Both scams try to convince people to give away private, sensitive information like account numbers, passwords and social security numbers.
"It continues to grow, but a lot of phishing and like I say, email, texting type of schemes, you get those almost daily. A lot of folks will call and again, they'll have a message on there that says something to the effect of 'we're trying to locate you.' 'We have a package,' 'it's undeliverable,' things like that. They almost try to get you off guard like oh my gosh — they expect you to click on that quickly. No, just delete those messages. The Postal Service will never contact you via text in that way," Inglett said.
That's why they're stressing the importance of recognizing these scams, so you can avoid falling for them.
The public can report suspicious activity by calling the USPS hotline at 877-876-2455 or visiting uspis.gov.
Tips for preventing mail theft include:
• Don’t let mail in your mailbox pile up.
• Don’t leave packages on your porch for a prolonged period of time.
• Avoid leaving checks in the mailbox overnight.
• Hold mail at your local post office if you are out of town, or give them special delivery instructions.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery so you know when things are coming.
• Keep an eye out for your letter carrier and report suspicious activity to 911
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