Federal investigation underway as packages go missing at Hilo post office

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Frustrated business owners say they’re out thousands of dollars after packages dropped off at Hilo’s main post office keep vanishing. HNN Investigates spoke to two small business owners who said it’s been a problem they’ve struggled with more than a year.

Fed up with missing mail, the owner of Kahua Aina took to social media to see if anyone else was having trouble. Jordan Camara soon realized she was not alone.

“I had so many people reply to me, ‘Yea, my small business here. My small business there,’” she said.

That’s how she found out Jessica Wong, another Hilo business owner, was plagued by the same problem.

“We never had an issue until last year,” Wong said.

Both business owners told HNN Investigates when they drop of large shipments of online orders — on the post office’s back dock or inside at the mail drop — it appears not all of their packages are getting scanned into the system.

HNN Investigates

“Customers would send us emails like hey, where’s our update — where’s our package,” Camara said.

“When I looked into all the tracking, I noticed about 10 orders. Same thing. It stated the barcode label was created, but USPS hasn’t received it,” Wong said. “So I filed the necessary claims.”

But she says she never got answers as to what happened. And her requests to have her losses reimbursed were denied. All total, she says she’s out about $2,500.

When asked how that affects her small business, she replied, “It affects it a lot. We’re not like Amazon.”

HNN Investigates took the complaints to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, two federal agencies responsible for investigating mail theft.

When asked what the USPS is doing to get to the bottom of what’s allegedly happening in Hilo, postal inspector Matthew Norfleet replied, “The tools we use in mail theft investigations are all the tools of law enforcement: intelligence, surveillance, subpoenas, search warrants.”

He went on to say, “Given that this situation in Hilo is ongoing, there’s not a lot I can’t say about what is being done right at this moment without tipping off whoever is responsible for it.”

Norfleet says customers should never leave mail unattended at the post office. He says in California, he’s seen cases where thieves go onto post office property to steal.

“Whether it’s on the front counter or at the back dock,” he said.

Norfleet added if you’re dropping off packages at the back dock in Hilo, “Buzz the buzzer, wait for somebody to come out. They will scan your mail in.”

He also suggests businesses get a commercial account.

“Have the carrier come out. And scan it at their shop or warehouse — where there won’t be the same time pressure. And there won’t be other people waiting,” Norfleet said.

Meanwhile, Camera says she can’t afford to loose anything else. That’s why she’s choosing to stand in line in the lobby and have the clerk scan in each one of her many packages individually.

“I have to get a receipt,” she said.

If you’ve experienced a similar issue in Hilo, postal inspectors want to hear from you. Call 877-876-2455.

You can also call that number if you have information that could help crack the case. Tips that lead to a conviction could earn you up to a $100,000 reward.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.