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Last year, police in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Tarrytown, Harrison, Purchase, Bronxville, New Rochelle, North Castle and other communities investigated incidents involving mail thefts.
The incidents include curbside mailboxes that were broken into or opened with stolen keys or outright stolen. Thieves have also used “fishing” techniques to take mail from mailboxes, and “rural-style” mailboxes have been broken into, according to Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr.
According to the Westchester DA website, “all of us who use the U.S. Mail are victims. In some cases, residents were accused of not paying their bills on time when checks were stolen. Some have reported being victims of identity theft. Others who sent money orders, which work like cash, lost the stolen money and still owed their recipient with no way to recoup the payment.”
Fraudsters can also use stolen documents to steal peoples’ identities.
“Thieves take checks or financial documents with personal identifying information which can be used for identity theft and financial fraud,” Scarpino's office noted. “In some cases, checks are ‘washed,’ meaning cleaned and erased of original information, and the ‘Payable to’ or payable amount or both are changed. They are then cashed or fraudulently deposited in someone else’s account. Several arrests have been made.
Thefts were so rampant last year that officials, including Rep. Nita Lowey, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Eliot Engel and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney sent a letter to United States Postmaster General Megan Brennan calling for the Postal Service to address theft of mail across the region.
In the letter, the officials highlighted incidents of stolen mail that resulted in financial fraud and identity theft in the Hudson Valley. “From missing payments to emptied bank accounts after thieves ‘wash’ checks pulled from collection boxes, mail theft threatens the livelihood of constituents.”
“These thefts occur daily, rapidly and significantly decreasing the reliability of the Postal Service,” they wrote. “These widespread incidents cost our constituents large sums of money and much time to remedy, not to mention the confidence and peace of mind that the Postal Service prides itself on providing.
“Mail theft threatens the livelihood of our constituents and impacts our most vulnerable populations. These thefts occur daily, rapidly and significantly decreasing the reliability of the Postal Service. Thieves are not only ‘ fishing ’ mail out of collection boxes, but are stealing the entire mailbox or using keys acquired from postal employees.”
To avoid becoming the victim of mail theft, Scarpino's Office recommends:
- Do not place checks in mailboxes. Use online payment instead;
- If you use a curbside mailbox, do not put mail in the box after the last pickup time for the day;
- If your mail has not arrived at its destination, report it to your local police department and your local post office;
- Write checks with gel-style ink that cannot be erased or “washed” like ink from a standard ballpoint pen;
- Check your credit card and bank statements daily for any unusual activity;
- If you think you have been the victim of fraud, the Federal Trade Commission strongly suggests you set up a “Fraud Alert” with credit bureaus. Follow the FTC's instructions.
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