Money stolen from envelope - Baldoyle sorting office

dark crystal · 23-02-2013 01:59PM

the purple tin wrote: »

I never knew this was so common!
Does the sorting office not keep tabs on their staff, cctv etc.

I was thinking exactly the same thing!

Theft wouldn't be tolerated in any other workplace, so why in An Post? I'm actually kind of shocked that it seems so widespread and nothing major seems to be done about it.

If it happened to me, I wouldn't let it go. I wouldn't be satisfied until the culprit had been caught and prosecuted!

Latchy · 23-02-2013 02:00PM

In UK there have been cases of postmen who rather then deliver the mail , have taken whole mail sacks home with them and rifled through them for cash and other valuable items and some have been caught stealing by cctv at their place of work .Like any big business or organization as the post office you will have a % of thieving bastards .

Karona · 23-02-2013 04:32PM

A friend of mine sent me a girft of two make up brush holders, when I got the envelope there was a huge rip in it and it was folded in half with just one of the make up brush holders in it.

I sent An Post a complaint and was sent a reply basically saying sorry that happened, nothing much we can do about it.

nlgbbbblth · 23-02-2013 04:45PM

aujopimur wrote: »

It's illegal to send cash in the post.

I sold a CD on discogs last year.
The buyer paid me by sending a ten euro note via the post.

Should I report him to the Gardai?

23-02-2013 04:57PM

I can't believe there are still people who send cash through the post. I always thought it was one of the those things you just don't do, like leaving your front door unlocked. There are so many ways to send cash these days - bank transfer, Paypal, cheque - why would you risk it?

OU812 · 23-02-2013 05:17PM

Karona wrote: »

I sent An Post a complaint and was sent a reply basically saying sorry that happened, nothing much we can do about it.

This is why I'm reporting it to the gardai. I know there's nothing much an post can/will do about it, but if the gardai are involved, they have to follow it through to the end.

ProudDUB · 23-02-2013 05:30PM

testicle wrote: »

How do the post persons detect the cash?

I'd imagine the fact that the money was in a card may have been a factor. If I was of a thieving nature and had access to the post, I'd target cards too. There is more chance of there being some dosh inside a birthday card, than there is in someones ESB bill.

Dunno if is was an old wives tale, or if there is any truth to this, but my mother firmly believed in the story that all post goes thru a metal detector/scanner than detects the presence of metal in it. This goes back to the days when the IRA sent parcel bombs to the security forces in the post. She was told that the thin metal strip in the watermark of paper money will show up on the scanner. It's not enough to set the scanners off, but its enough to show up on the monitors. Staff then know what envelopes to target. Feel free to tell me I am full of $hit, but there ye go !

TwoShedsJackson · 23-02-2013 05:51PM

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

I sold a CD on discogs last year.
The buyer paid me by sending a ten euro note via the post.

Should I report him to the Gardai?

Yes. This law-breaking monster must be stopped.

longshanks · 23-02-2013 06:00PM

This has happened to me before. I had ordered a few t shirts from a company in America who don't usually ship to addresses outside the states or Canada. Because of this I had been emailing the company, so there was regular contact and a tracking number for the order.
So I tracked the order from the States to Germany, London, Dublin, Meath and then the Waterford sorting office where it disappeared.
When I asked what happened I was told it had been misplaced, come back tomorrow. I went home, emailed the yanks to let them know what happened, and the next day back to the sorting office.
I was told the package was sent back because the address had 'fallen off'.
'If the address 'fell off' how did ye know where to send it back to?'
No, it was your address that fell off I was told.
The yanks thought this was ridiculous, but couriered the order to me again and were all apologetic. They were apologising for An Post stupidity.
I never got any satisfaction from An Post, and the package they supposedly sent back never arrived in the States.

humbert · 23-02-2013 06:28PM

Latchy wrote: »

In UK there have been cases of postmen who rather then deliver the mail , have taken whole mail sacks home with them and rifled through them for cash and other valuable items and some have been caught stealing by cctv at their place of work .Like any big business or organization as the post office you will have a % of thieving bastards .

Would never happen here!

omck80 · 23-02-2013 07:39PM

My father in law send a birthday card to my daughter from Portugal. He had put €50 in it. Never arrived. Quick check it had left Portugal An Post said it never arrived in Ireland. Had tracking number and it had. An posts reply oh sorry sometimes letters can get lost.

ixoy · 23-02-2013 07:47PM

Had a Tuexdo jacket sent up from a hotel to my house. Never arrived.

RichT · 23-02-2013 07:50PM

ixoy wrote: »

Had a Tuexdo jacket sent up from a hotel to my house. Never arrived.

Maybe your valet got kidnapped on the way.

brokenarms · 23-02-2013 07:51PM

madness sending money and not even tracking it. Its well worth the extra few bob.

barone · 23-02-2013 07:53PM

registered post for any valubles people, at least you have some insurance and comeback .. machines eat letters sometimes,addresses do fall off if a sticker is used, terrible packin can be blamed for loss from a item, if something falls out of a packet/parcel whilst in a cage of many many more packages/parcels an post have no way of knowing which one it came from as it usually gets found at the bottom of cage when the mail has passed through, and even if they see a damaged packet/parcel they cant know for sure if a loose item came from within it.

also there are thieves everywhere ,even in an post..and there are liars everywhere,sometimes letters were never sent,and even sometimes they have been received but recipient claims otherwise.

use common sense,if its valuable ensure you treat it as such, sending 100 dollars for 55 cent stamp seems rather silly to me sorry op.

humbert · 23-02-2013 07:54PM

brokenarms wrote: »

madness sending money and not even tracking it. Its well worth the extra few bob.

It's necessary but it's basically a we'll steal it otherwise tax...unless you genuinely care about when the package will arrive.

monkeysnapper · 23-02-2013 08:06PM

I know a guy who works for the post office. I think he delivery the mail. I don't like him very much . There's something about him .

I'd defo say start their op .

He told me one day he found ur flat mates purse outside on the drive that she had dropped while coming in the night before. He said ill keep it a couple of days to teach her a lesson.

Yeh defo start there op .

Bastard

Sue Ellen · 23-02-2013 08:27PM

A few years ago on my sister in laws birthday we sent her a card. The card was empty( we transferred the cash to her bank a/c) but several other cards were sent with lottery tickets(thankfully no cash!) none of them got to her.
She reported it to the post office and a post man was fired over it. It was happening a lot in that particular post office and after an investigation they found out who it was.
I would report it, you should be able to send whatever you want without having to worry about it being stolen but these are the times we live in!

Lucy and Harry · 23-02-2013 08:41PM

It could have happened in the american sorting office.Why only blame An Post

Solair · 23-02-2013 08:52PM

The other thing is that when packages and letters are routed to Ireland they often transit other postal systems in between.

They should be able to have full integrated international tracing at this stage though. It's a joke that packages and letters go "off grid" en route.

Best bet it to disguise birthday cards as invoices from the gas company !

Nforce · 23-02-2013 09:35PM

barone wrote: »

. machines eat letters sometimes,addresses do fall off if a sticker is used, terrible packin can be blamed for loss from a item, if something falls out of a packet/parcel whilst in a cage of many many more packages/parcels an post have no way of knowing which one it came from as it usually gets found at the bottom of cage when the mail has passed through, and even if they see a damaged packet/parcel they cant know for sure if a loose item came from within it.

This.

By the way..yes there are numerous monitored CCTV cameras in the sorting offices...with everything recorded should there be any issues. Any items that burst out/fall out of their packaging are handed in to the an post help desk, but unless there's a means of identifying the item (by the sender tagging it with a return address..unlikely with cash) then there's not a whole lot the sorting staff can do.

kneemos · 23-02-2013 09:54PM

Nforce wrote: »

This.

By the way..yes there are numerous monitored CCTV cameras in the sorting offices...with everything recorded should there be any issues. Any items that burst out/fall out of their packaging are handed in to the an post help desk, but unless there's a means of identifying the item (by the sender tagging it with a return address..unlikely with cash) then there's not a whole lot the sorting staff can do.

A hundred dollars doesn't fall out of an envelope and reseal itself.

Nforce · 23-02-2013 10:11PM

kneemos wrote: »

A hundred dollars doesn't fall out of an envelope and reseal itself.

If the envelope is damaged (ripped open) by the machines it would be resealed as a matter of course.

Boombastic · 23-02-2013 10:32PM

A few years ago, as soon as shooting season started, our postman would only be seen once a week/once a fortnight :eek: but mammy owned the post office:rolleyes:

Arpa · 23-02-2013 10:35PM

OU812 wrote: »

My nephew turned 18 on Thursday. He's heading to the US during his Easter holidays so asked for dollars as his gift.

I put two $50 bills in a card on Monday & got it in the post in the Baldoyle sorting office catchment area before 5.30 on Monday.

The card arrived yesterday. The envelope had been opened, cash removed & resealed.

Now I'm not expecting to get the money back, but is there any recourse here? Do I report it to the guards? Surely there must be something that can be done as its theft with a limited amount of contact with the envelope.

Do you understand the postal service? Don't send money by post...that's why we have wire transfer. Your own fault. Not getting it back...sorry mate.

OU812 · 23-02-2013 10:52PM

OK, so there's been a slight development...

The Gardai wanted to know if I still had the envelope so I called my nephew and it was in his recycle bin. So he fished it out as I was talking to him & I asked him if he could tell where it was opened. He said it was "impossible to tell, they must have put the tape back on it really carefully".

But I didn't put tape on it. I just sealed it & posted it. And, he says it looks like there's part of a fingerprint on the underside of one part of the tape.

And to those who said you're advised not to send cash, well yes, I knew that, but he had explicitly asked for dollars & I'm not going to see him before he goes, so it was the simplest way.

As it stands now, I think I'll be going out of my way to avoid using the postal service for anything.

23-02-2013 11:26PM

Solair wrote: »

Actually, don't think that's the case in Ireland. It's not advisable, but perfectly legal! It may be the case in other countries though.

It's prohibited by An Post, as in when you go in to an office and state that you're sending money in a card they'll tell you you can't send it unless it's registered, but there's no legal consequences to popping a card with money in a post box AFAIK.

OU812 wrote: »

This is why I'm reporting it to the gardai. I know there's nothing much an post can/will do about it, but if the gardai are involved, they have to follow it through to the end.

That's a great use of AGS resources. Surely you could have filled in an enquiry form for An Post and given them a chance to deal with it before using the gardaí.

OU812 wrote: »

And to those who said you're advised not to send cash, well yes, I knew that, but he had explicitly asked for dollars & I'm not going to see him before he goes, so it was the simplest way.

Simpler than registered post, or western union? A card screams money, it would have been very obvious what was inside. Theft is theft and should definitely be reported, but you say you knew the risks so I don't see what all this additional knicker-twisting is for.

humbert · 23-02-2013 11:36PM

true-or-false wrote: »

That's a great use of AGS resources. Surely you could have filled in an enquiry form for An Post and given them a chance to deal with it before using the gardaí.

You're scolding him for reporting the thief of a significant amount of money to the Gardai?

vitani · 23-02-2013 11:38PM

true-or-false wrote: »

It's prohibited by An Post, as in when you go in to an office and state that you're sending money in a card they'll tell you you can't send it unless it's registered, but there's no legal consequences to popping a card with money in a post box AFAIK.

That's a great use of AGS resources. Surely you could have filled in an enquiry form for An Post and given them a chance to deal with it before using the gardaí.

Simpler than registered post, or western union? A card screams money, it would have been very obvious what was inside. Theft is theft and should definitely be reported, but you say you knew the risks so I don't see what all this additional knicker-twisting is for.

The Gardai shouldn't be investigating theft now??

The OP was naive in sending money through the post, but that doesn't mean whoever took it should be allowed get away with it. Maybe if everyone reported missing money to the Gardai, the thieves might consider it more trouble than its worth.

johnr1 · 24-02-2013 12:06AM

I've had this happen with cash, all Ireland tickets, and concert tickets over the years.

A mate who formerly worked in the sorting office tells me that contrary to what is being said here, they could guess with reasonable accuracy which envelopes held cash or tickets.
He said that it was well known that some individuals would take home a sack of mail if they were broke, and open/steal/bin the contents. Not as bad in recent years but once widespread and almost common. Disgusting theives.

I don't use the post when possible anymore.

Money stolen from envelope - Baldoyle sorting office

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