I recently came across a story about an IRS employee arrested for stealing gift cards from the mail being delivered to the IRS facility where he worked. Apparently stealing gift cards from the mail isn’t limited to Postal employees. Now you have to work about the workers in the mail room at your business.

If you send gift cards by mail, some simple precautions will make them more likely to arrive.

Don’t put them inside a holiday card. Thieves look specifically for holiday cards and can feel the shape of the gift card inside. Instead, ship them in a box, a padded envelope (to make it look like something other than a holiday card), or a larger manila envelope (so it won’t look like a holiday card). If you can feel the gift card in the packaging, so can someone else.

If you do mail it along with a holiday card, make sure the envelope is sealed properly and the contents inside aren’t too loose. If they are, the Post Office’s automatic sorting machines may shred the envelope.

Buy Postal Service insurance to protect the gift card. To insure an item up to $50, it costs $1.75. Up to $100 costs $2.25. You get the idea.