FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A postal worker was robbed at gunpoint Friday in Fort Lauderdale, a U.S. Postal Service representative said.
The robbery was reported in the 2300 block of Northwest Seventh Court.
Postal police said the letter carrier was on her break at an apartment complex at Northwest Seventh Court near 22nd Road, in the Franklin Park area, when two men approached her, demanding her keys.
Police said one was wearing a mask and had a gun.
Authorities said the thieves grabbed at least one key and took off.
"I just saw the mail lady putting her belt back on, and I saw papers all over the place. I didn't know anything was wrong," a woman who lives at the apartment complex said.
Detectives believe that the motive is for the thieves to be able to access mail panels at apartment buildings and similar communities to steal mail and perpetuate fraud and identity theft.
Postal police said residents in the area should be mindful of emptying their mail box promptly and reporting any suspicious activity to police until they can investigate to figure out which keys were stolen, and get those locks changed.
"We're asking residents who live in the apartment complex to be mindful of their mail and give us a call if anything seems kind of unfamiliar to them, because now we have a key out there that can potentially open, not just this panel, but perhaps the panel next door," Postal Inspector Ivan Ramirez said.
The letter carrier was not injured.