How to Keep Your Postal Mail Private and Secure

Surreptious opening of most envelopes sent through the mail takes little effort and only minimal skill. Instructions are readily available on the Internet and in books suc as "CIA Flaps and Seals Manual" (Paladin Press).

While your mail is in the hands of the postal service it is relatively secure from outside snooping but readily available to postal employees and the alphabet soup of government agencies that may, for whatever reason, take an interest in your private correspondence. If your mail is delivered to your home, perhaps to a box at the end of your driveway, someone can easily remove your mail before you do, unless you are waiting when the postment delivers it.

LET ME ASK YOU THIS...

If a private investigation or neighborhood snoop removed private letters from your mailbox, carefully opened them, recorded the contents, and then resealed them and returned them to your mailbox, would you know it? If you received a letter in the mail on Wednesdays instead of tuesday, would you be aware that it had been missing that day?

HOW GOVERNMENT KEEP THEIR MAIL PRIVATE

When government agencies send sensitive material, they double-wrap it to prevent it's surreptitious opening. The government procedure is to place the sensitive material in an envelope, seal all seams and edges with tape, and record appropriate addresses and security markings on the envelope.

This envelope is then placed into a second envelope, which then has all edges and seams sealed with tape. The outer envelope is addressed, but there are no security markings recorded on it. This is effective, but the outer envelope with all edges and seams sealed with tape stands out from ordinary mail.

HOW YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR MAIL PRIVATE

For security of personal correspondence I recommend double-wrapping your private letters, but with a bit of a change. Instead of sealing just the edges of the inner envelope, i use clear sealing tape or clear packing tape.

1- Cut a lenght of tape twice the lenght of your inner envelope. Place the tape on a table, adhesive side up. You may need two strips of sealing/packing tape to cover the entire width of the envelope (I was able to obtain 4-inch-wide packing tape, which works well for the smaller 3 5/8 x 6-inch personal correspondence envelopes, from a local moving company).

2- Now, after sealing your envelope, place it on the adhesive portion of the tape and then fold the tape around the envelope so that it covers all surfaces.Leave a slight edge of tape around the envelope so that you can have an adhesive-toadhesive seal. This type of seal, covering all surfaces of the envelope, is damn near impossible to get into in a surreptitious manner.

3- Now, place the sealed envelope in an out envelope and seal and address it normally.

The outer envelope doesn't stand out from other letters, but your private correspondence sealed inside is protected from snoops.

Even the old tricks of using chemical sprays to make the envelope momentarily transparent won't work because the inner envelope is completely wrapped in tape and therefore impenetrable by these sprays.

Max Penn is the man behind the respected Spy equipment buying guide site. You can learn and benefit from his unique privacy, surveillance and antisurveillance knowledge by signing up for his free spy equipment & techniques newsletter at Spy Gear & Tech Xpress Newsletter page

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:33:37 GMT Deflation fears roil Wall Street - Houston Chronicle The Associated Press Deflation fears roil Wall Street Houston Chronicle - 56 minutes ago By VIKAS BAJAJ New York Times After gyrating wildly for weeks, the stock market lurched lower on Wednesday, falling to its lowest point in nearly six years, as concern spread that the economy might be beset by a chronic and debilitating decline in ... Video: Consumer Prices Drop Record 1 Percent in October AssociatedPress Fed sees economic woes persisting into next year The Associated Press MarketWatch - Pittsburgh Post Gazette - AFP - Bloomberg all 1,290 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:37:08 GMT Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake - The Associated Press Times Online Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake The Associated Press - 2 hours ago CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing. Video: Astronaut Who Lost Tool Bag Admits Mistake AssociatedPress Ahead of schedule, astronauts install water recycler Houston Chronicle eFluxMedia - Tucson Citizen - Register - ABC News all 2,437 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:13:12 GMT Mussina Close To Making It Official: He’s Retiring - New York Times National Post Mussina Close To Making It Official: He’s Retiring New York Times - 4 hours ago By TYLER KEPNER Jim Palmer has known Mike Mussina for 17 years, but rarely had his friend seemed as loose and carefree as he did this summer. Yanks' Mussina to retire after first 20-win season FOXSports.com Mussina to retire, end 18-year career Washington Times CNN International - MLB.com - ESPN - New York Daily News all 248 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:20:43 GMT Movie Review: Twilight - Entertainment Weekly Canada.com Movie Review: Twilight Entertainment Weekly - 1 hour ago By Owen Gleiberman If the droolingly awaited big-screen version of Twilight is any indication, sanpaku eyes are the new cheekbones. Director Catherine Hardwicke saw the 'Twilight' mania coming Los Angeles Times 'Twilight' barely gets the blood flowing USA Today Reuters - Variety - The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - San Francisco Chronicle all 1,061 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:34 GMT The Obama Health Plan Emerges - Wall Street Journal dBTechno The Obama Health Plan Emerges Wall Street Journal - 2 hours ago "Universal" government-run health care proved too ambitious even for FDR, who stripped it out of the Social Security Act of 1935. Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition New York Times Insurers make pitch for health coverage mandate San Jose Mercury News TMCnet - Bloomberg - New Republic - MarketWatch all 314 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:00:54 GMT Will winning 'Sexiest Man Alive' lose 'Australia' hunk Hugh ... - Los Angeles Times Boston Globe (registration) Will winning 'Sexiest Man Alive' lose 'Australia' hunk Hugh ... Los Angeles Times - 6 hours ago This has been quite a week already for Hugh Jackman and it is only Wednesday. On Monday, he got good reviews from his hometown papers when the long-awaited epic "Australia" world premiered in Sydney. Hugh Jackman is the Sexiest Man Alive (unless you look at Jon Hamm) Entertainment Weekly 2008’s “Sexiest Man Alive” Is Hugh Jackman eFluxMedia Channel News Asia - FOXNews - Zap2it.com - The Associated Press all 525 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:32:48 GMT Weak Japan exports pile on economic gloom - Reuters Straits Times Weak Japan exports pile on economic gloom Reuters - 56 minutes ago By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Jason Subler TOKYO/BEIJING (Reuters) - Japan's exports to Asia fell in October for the first time since 2002, showing that the fallout from the credit crisis has spread to neighbors such as China and adding momentum to ... Japan's exports mark biggest decline in 7 years The Associated Press Japan's Exports Fell the Most in Almost Seven Years (Update3) Bloomberg AFP - United Press International - Forbes - Reuters India all 186 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:37:03 GMT RSS For Web Pages Increase Online Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Handling Weather Emergencies: Part 2; Home Security, Evacuation, and Emergency Kits

IntroductionPart 1 of this article on preparing for weather emergencies... Read More

Alarm System: Smoke and Heat Detectors

Smoke & Heat Detectors- Smoke detectors are available that will... Read More

Alarm System: Contacts (Window & Door Switches)

Alarm Contacts- Contact switches are magnetic switches used to protect... Read More

The Case for Personal, Estate, Corporate and Child Abduction Security in today?s World

When one considers the historical nature of security applications and... Read More

Stand Alone Keyless Access - How Does It Work?

Security and convenience are usually delicately balanced. If something is... Read More

Securing Home Water Supplies; Conservation of Water Planning

Generally when it rains the water runs off the house... Read More

Who Abducted the Missing Child?

What is going on with these people who feel they... Read More

Home Security ? Defend Your Home and Possessions Against Intruders!

With all of the emphasis in the past few years... Read More

Tips for Keeping Your Home Invasion Free

Home invasion formerly known as burglary is the type of... Read More

Organizing an Arson Watch Program

A wide variety of participants are needed to launch a... Read More

Emergency Disaster Planning: Building a Bug-Out Kit

Report after report comes in about how many people couldn't... Read More

Is Big Brother Watching You? Or Are You Watching Big Brother?

Isn't technology a wonderful thing? I thought this as I... Read More

Fire Safety Tips

Did you know that fire is the third leading cause... Read More

Who Has Keys to Your Castle?

One area of home security that is often overlooked, and... Read More

Emergency - Gas Fire!

Woooooooo??Woooo???The siren sounded. All of us looked at each other... Read More

Kevlar Sheets for Your Home Walls

Home security is more important today than ever. You may... Read More

How to Buy a Safe for Your Home

The first step is to determine who or where you... Read More

Numbers That Can Save Your Life

It's one of those things we don't give a second... Read More

Is America Safe?

As the devastation and death toll from deadly Hurricane Katrina... Read More

How To Turn Thirty Dollar Web Camera Into Home Surveillance System

Web cameras are really inexpensive these days. With no technical... Read More

Essentials For Hurricane Season

According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the East... Read More

Emergency Telephone Numbers

Emergency is a situation that poses an instant threat to... Read More

What is Your Security Awareness IQ?

Are you aware of the need for security?Your awareness of... Read More

Neighborhood Mobile Watch Patrol

Have you found yourself disgusted with the crime lately. You... Read More

Handling a Hurricane; Part 2 - Preparing for and Surviving an Approaching Hurricane

Part 1 of this article described some of the characteristics... Read More