The Check Is In The MailNissan 200SX

Last month we were trying to mail a check to San Francisco. First we tried the usual snail-mail way, dropped in a box on East Pike. Three weeks later, no dice. So then we tried Priority Mail, and handed it to the postal truck driver ourselves. 2-3 days later, nothing. We called USPS. They said, "Oh wow, we'll look into that." A week went by. We arranged a money transfer by email. We called USPS again. "Yeah, we'll call you," they said. "How did you get this number again?"

They never called back but this morning, the King County Journal reports on what we suspect is responsible. When state troopers arrested a guy for doing 94 mph on I-90, they discovered he didn't have a "good explanation" for why he was going so fast, searched the car, and discovered stolen mail, keys to post office boxes, and all the other trappings of ID theft. ("Good explanation"? Does that work?)

The story ends on an upbeat note: "Investigators are attempting to contact all the victims identified by the recovered documents." Maybe one day we'll get a call of our own. Until then, we just thought you should know, Priority Mail is no guarantee (though you can insure your package at least) that your mail will get through.