Charles Luylier // Photo credits: INA FASSBENDER / AFP 9:46 a.m., March 26, 2024
It's a phenomenon that is growing everywhere in France and of which you may have already been a victim: the theft of packages from mailboxes. The thieves follow the delivery men and open the boxes after their passage, using master keys purchased online.
Perhaps you have already found yourself in this situation: your mailbox is empty, even though everything indicates that you have received your order. Parcel thefts are exploding all over France: the Mont-de-Marsan police have even just opened an investigation following a series of unprecedented thefts. But delivery platforms, for fear of scaring customers, refuse to give precise figures for this phenomenon.
>> READ ALSO -
Bobigny: six individuals arrested after the theft of one million euros of Hermès products
Julien, a resident of Toulouse, was the victim of this type of theft. As he comes down from his building to collect a package, all the mailbox panels are open and emptied of their contents. “I had a pair [of shoes] stolen for 200 euros,” he annoys to Europe 1. The Toulouse resident then explains that he turned against the service provider, without much success: “They saw that I had been delivered. But there was no break-in, because the box was not forced. So, they couldn't do anything."
Increasingly accessible tools
Mailboxes opened without any damage by thieves, who first follow the delivery people and operate immediately using master keys. These tools are available over the counter on the internet, according to David, postman. "We can find PTTs, that is to say the keys which open the mailbox batteries. We can find them on sites like Amazon or others that we can order. I found around 10 euros. There, it opens the entire letterbox panel,” he explains.
>> READ ALSO -
The government invites individuals to avoid parcel deliveries during the Olympics
Previously, however, these replicas were reserved for postal workers. “It’s a little scary,” David admits. He is not the only one to fear this phenomenon: now, the platforms are considering no longer delivering to areas affected by the thefts, to favor relay points, which are much safer.