CRAFTON, Pa. — Police in Crafton Borough say thieves are targeting the mailboxes outside the post office.
They say it seems to be part of a check washing scheme.
That’s when checks are stolen, erased and cashed for more money than originally intended.
“Don’t put it in the mailbox,” Joseph Rutkowski said. He uses that post office and says it happened to him.
“The last time I threw mail in the box, where it was supposed to get to, it did not get there,” he said.
Not everyone has been so lucky.
According to Crafton Borough Police, there have been multiple reports of checks being stolen from the box.
They say thieves are either breaking into it or using stolen keys.
They then “wash” the checks with chemicals and rewrite them.
Postal inspectors are investigating. They tell us they can’t comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation but “take any reports of mail theft very seriously.”
In the meantime, police are advising you do not use the outside box.
There are other things you can do, too, including using a black gel pen.
“I use a pen that smears. Hopefully, I used it when I wrote that check,” Rutkowski said.
He tells Channel 11 he took the precaution after hearing about previous incidents.
Channel 11 reported back in June that similar thefts were happening at the post office along McKnight Road.
- Other tips include:
- Avoid using outdoor blue mailboxes for checks.
- Deposit mail inside your local post office.
- Pay bills online when possible.
- Hand mail with checks directly to your carrier.
- Monitor bank accounts.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
- Don’t let mail sit in your box.
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