Mail Bomb Recognition Checklist
If you receive a suspicious letter or package, and suspect the possibility of a letter bomb, contact the police department immediately. Do not handle or move the letter or package no matter how much it had been handled before you became suspicious. The letter or package will be evaluated by the responding police officer. If necessary, bomb disposal experts will be called in to further handle the situation.
Envelope
Oil Stains ("sweating" of plastic explosive)
Inks (particularly reds and blues), may bleed, staining the envelope
Use of extra sealing tape or string
Inner sealed enclosure
Peculiar odor
Wires, string, or foil sticking out or attached
Feeling of springiness in the sides, bottom, or top
Weight
Heavier than usual for its size
Weight unevenly distributed
Heavier than usual for its class (for example, an air mail envelope weighing more than two ounces)
Rigidity
Greater than normal, particularly along its center length
Thickness
Not uniform, or with bulges
For medium size envelopes, the thickness of a small book and fairly rigid
For large envelopes, bulkiness, an inch or more in thickness
Address
No return address or unusual return address
Hand printed
Addressed to a high ranking executive either by name, title, or department within the organization
Title for the executive is incorrect
Poorly typed or handwritten address
Writing
Marked (written or stamped) personal, confidential, private, or eyes only
Marked (written or stamped) air mail, registered, certified, or special delivery
Misspelled words, particularly those in common business usage
Style of writing is foreign
Stamps
Excessive postage for the piece
Foreign
From an unusual city or town in the United States
None, hand-delivered or messenger