A THIEF has been seen stealing mail from letterboxes in the dead of night in West Perth.

At 2am Monday January 6 this Voice journo peered out his kitchen window, spotting the thief, kitted out in dark clothes, cap, backpack and torch, taking envelopes from mailboxes.

Heroic urges to intervene and apprehend were short-circuited by no clothes and naked cowardice. So he went back to bed.

Having detected 800 counts at least of mail fraud in 2014’s Operation Rescue, WA police have urged locals to lockup their letter boxes.

Losing the five bucks your nan tucks in your birthday card is the least of your worries: stolen documents, including bills, provide thieves the info they need to build a case for identity theft, and that can lead to a world of trouble.

Operation Rescue culminated in the arrest of two homeless people charged with withdrawing money from bank accounts, buying debit cards, hiring vehicles and renting hotel rooms. Many victims had no clue it was even going on.

by DAVID BELL