INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — It's the holiday season, which means thieves are out in full force.
But for Myranda Brown in Independence, the issues she has dealt with started this summer with her son's birthday gift.
"My grandpa called saying he was sending him a birthday card and it never showed up," Brown said.
Then, it happened again. She filed a claim with USPS about the missing pieces of mail, as she believes someone took them.
"It's so frustrating because you are going to steal from kids," Brown said, "Like who does that?"
Others in Independence have shared similar experiences.
One woman wrote on Facebook that one of her envelopes had been slashed open and money was taken – money that was a Christmas gift for her son.
Justin Jensen said he believes someone might have been following his mail carrier, as he saw two tire track marks by his mailbox.
"If you get tracks in the snow to your mailbox before you got home, you might take a look at something like that," said Mark Inglett, strategic communications specialist for the United States Postal Service.
The USPS said if anyone notices something odd or have had mail opened they should report the issues as soon as possible.
"You canfile a claim. You can do that online or in the post office," Inglett said.
As for Brown, she isn't taking any chances this Christmas.
"I told them (relatives), I said don't send money through the mail," Brown said. "We will come see you."
She said she also told her cash-sending grandfather to send money via the cashapp so, it would be guaranteed to get to her children.
USPS also recommended that anyone who has had money stolen should contact police.
