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Police issued a public safety alert on Tuesday afternoon following several new instances of mail theft that took place at approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday, May 29 in the area of South Broadway and Riverdale Avenue.
The mailboxes that were robbed were:
- 79 Main Street;
- 80 Riverdale Avenue;
- 410 Riverdale Avenue;
- 466 Riverdale Avenue;
- 53 South Broadway;
- 176 South Broadway;
- 274 South Broadway;
- 335 South Broadway;
- South Broadway at Lawrence Street;
- 260 Valentine Lane.
According to police investigators, if “you utilized these mailboxes within the past 72 hours to end checks or checking account information, please notify your financial institutions and verify your bank accounts have not been compromised. You should advise your bank and credit institutions of the potential for fraud activity, and monitor your accounts closely for the next several months.”
Investigators also noted that residents should be aware of the potential for identity theft and late payment charges for bill payments sent through the mail. The incidents remain under investigation by police in Yonkers and nearby local law enforcement agencies.
“These incidents of outside mailbox theft appear to be a regional issue with multiple jurisdictions affected; therefore the Yonkers Police Department recommends that residents go directly to their local post office and drop off mail inside the postal facility or hand deliver to your carrier.”
In the alert, Yonkers police issued some common sense advice to help residents avoid becoming victims of the scam:
- Consider transferring money via other methods;
- Drop mail containing checks directly at the Post Office or hand it directly to your mail carrier;
- If you use a mailbox, deposit the mail as close to the scheduled pick-up time as possible;
- When writing a check use a pen with pigmented ink that cannot be erased;
- If you see any suspicious activity around mailboxes, call the police.
Anyone who sees or suspects suspicious behavior can contact the Yonkers Police Department at (914) 377-6923.
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