topic Re: US Postal Mail Scam in Community Chat

US Postal Mail Scam

stellabystarlight — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:27:19 GMT

This is a fairly new scam in my area.

In Westchester County, New York, we have been advised of a scam called "Fishing" in our mailboxes with the chute type of entry. Thieves get a long stick - put tape at the bottom and shove the stick in the chute type mailbox and remove mail. They look for checks. When they open up envelopes which they believe are checks, they do what is called "washing." This involves removing the signature and the person for whom the check is written to, and putting their own name, etc. and cashing it. Many people's rent checks etc. was never received.

The Postmaster and the Police warned us to put any checks directly inside the post office mail. And told us to buy permanent ink pens. Staples sells them. Also they redesigned the mailboxes. Now there are no chutes - just thin slots so that the "Fishing" stick cannot fit. I bring all of my important mail directly inside the Post Office. Also more areas in New York have been hit by this scam. What is this world coming to!

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

haddon9 — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:33:04 GMT

It amazes me what people will do. Where I live we have a mailbox at the curb and anyone can easily go through the mail....no need to "phish" for it.

I have heard of thieves washing personal checks before. However most tend to do a lot of their banking, etc. online today.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

shortbreadlover — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:35:31 GMT

it is amazing.

i got the call from the "irs" that i would be taken in custody if i didn't payup..

if they call again, i am going to call the back and ask them if they want me arrest myself

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

maximillian — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:37:22 GMT

We live in an area that is not really rural, but "lightly populated." One of the newer mail box setups is an entire "bank of mailboxes" on a sturdy pole. I don't know exactly, but maybe there are 24-30 mailboxes set up in this configuration. A year or so ago some bad actors came along in their pick up truck at night, destroyed the pole somehow and literally threw the entire display of mailboxes into the back of the pickup truck and drove off with it! As far as I know, they were never caught. This did not happen on our street, but a short distance away from us. Our mail carrier was kind enough to come door-to-door to inform us of this incident and to tell us to NOT place any outgoing mail with checks in side in our mailbox. I'm not permitted to use BAD WORDS here, but you can imagine what I called those ***!

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

stellabystarlight — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:38:51 GMT

The IRS phone call is a scam. Has been happening in my area too. The IRS will never call you. They send letters. Do not fall for this scam. Too many have and have lost life savings.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

shortbreadlover — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:41:31 GMT

i know and there is another where they calal and say something is wrong with your credit card and please enter either the card number or yuour social number.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

chrystaltree — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:50:43 GMT

I think that's pretty old. I remember that type of thing happening years and years ago. At that time, they were mostly looking for Christmas and Birthday cards that had cash and checks in them. I wouldn't even call that a scam, it's just old fashioned theft.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

itsmagic — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 21:10:10 GMT

We had an incident in our area where someone threw a lit object into a driveup mailbox that was located outside the post office and all the mail was on fire. I’ve since starting taking all my mail inside the post office to mail.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

Cats3000 — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 21:18:37 GMT

I avoid a lot of this by paying bills on line and, where possible, having payments directly deposited to my checking account.

But yes, there's a scam a minute.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

Spurt — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 23:41:27 GMT

@maximillian wrote:
We live in an area that is not really rural, but "lightly populated." One of the newer mail box setups is an entire "bank of mailboxes" on a sturdy pole. I don't know exactly, but maybe there are 24-30 mailboxes set up in this configuration. A year or so ago some bad actors came along in their pick up truck at night, destroyed the pole somehow and literally threw the entire display of mailboxes into the back of the pickup truck and drove off with it! As far as I know, they were never caught. This did not happen on our street, but a short distance away from us. Our mail carrier was kind enough to come door-to-door to inform us of this incident and to tell us to NOT place any outgoing mail with checks in side in our mailbox. I'm not permitted to use BAD WORDS here, but you can imagine what I called those ***!

@maximillian @stellabystarlight @chrystaltree

I remember years ago at my sister's apartment complex they had a mail slot near the Manager's Office for deposit of rent checks when the office was closed....And someone broke and widened the slot to steal the checks....After that they no longer had a mail slot.....

The bad thing is our subdivision has a bank of mailboxes as do most in our city. The days of mail carriers delivering home to home is almost extinct..... And there have been RECENT local stories of theives breaking into these bank of mailboxes in subdivisions and apartments....It's scary because it's not just checks they are looking for, they use the information to begin the identity theft process....The news reporter said after a break in occurred, one subdivision even installed security cameras....but to me the thieves could find a way to cover or steal the cameras that they have put up in the trees....

I know that we can't use the OUTMAIL slot in our bank of mailboxes since its too easy to break into.....

SAD WORLD INDEED!

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

Kachina624 — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:01:18 GMT

@stellabystarlight. I would not call stealing mail out of a mailbox a scam. It's theft pure and simple. A scam is when a person is deliberately deceived into giving information or money by someone using illicit information

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

stellabystarlight — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:09:34 GMT

Kachina, it is a scam when signatures on checks are wiped out using nail polish remover and cashing checks. Our local Police told us it was a SCAM. Why are you so concerned with the wording. Bottom line is: Be Aware. That is the reason for my post. I don't need criticism.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

software — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 01:24:48 GMT

I signed up for the USPS Informed Delivery.

I receive an email every day showing the mail I will receive that day.

If I am missing any or all, I am told to contact the post office.

I was missing 1 piece one day, but I waited until the next day and it arrived, I didn't neet to notify the post office. The only important information I receive by mail is from Medicare and Social Security. Nearly everything else is junk. My bills are online.

Sad day indeed.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

bonnielu — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 01:31:05 GMT

Most of my bills are paid online. If I need to mail a check I take it directly to our rural post office.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

tipsy — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 23:21:37 GMT

There is a conversation going on in my local neighborhood online forum about mail that has been deposited into the slot directly INSIDE the Post Office. Cards & envelopes with cash & giftcards were intercepted at the sorting facility/distribution center & had the contents stolen. The envelopes were slit & the contents removed, then the empty card was delivered to the person. Some bills paid by check were "washed" & cashed with a different name. I have never had a problem mailing cash or checks, but then I always tape up the seams & that seems to be a deterrent. I did just purchase some of those fraud-inhibiting pens with the special ink, in blue.

So here it's postal employees who are stealing.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

NYC Susan — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 04:51:49 GMT

@chrystaltree wrote:
I think that's pretty old. I remember that type of thing happening years and years ago. At that time, they were mostly looking for Christmas and Birthday cards that had cash and checks in them. I wouldn't even call that a scam, it's just old fashioned theft.

I remember hearing about this many years ago too. Just another way to steal.

I also remember seeing it on a sitcom. Someone was trying to retrieve a letter they hadn't meant to mail, and they used either tape or chewed gum on the end of a stick.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

RoughDraft — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 06:01:29 GMT

The mail boxes in my city have been jerry rigged so that it is "almost" impossible for anyone to retrieve mail from the box. They only open a few inches. Now I know why.

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

Nataliesgramma — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 11:01:31 GMT

Some mailboxes were removed in one area beacuse they had too much theft going on at night.....you have to use the mailboxes at the Post Office now

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

Ladybug724 — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 16:50:41 GMT

@stellabystarlight wrote:
This is a fairly new scam in my area.

In Westchester County, New York, we have been advised of a scam called "Fishing" in our mailboxes with the chute type of entry. Thieves get a long stick - put tape at the bottom and shove the stick in the chute type mailbox and remove mail. They look for checks. When they open up envelopes which they believe are checks, they do what is called "washing." This involves removing the signature and the person for whom the check is written to, and putting their own name, etc. and cashing it. Many people's rent checks etc. was never received.

The Postmaster and the Police warned us to put any checks directly inside the post office mail. And told us to buy permanent ink pens. Staples sells them. Also they redesigned the mailboxes. Now there are no chutes - just thin slots so that the "Fishing" stick cannot fit. I bring all of my important mail directly inside the Post Office. Also more areas in New York have been hit by this scam. What is this world coming to!

The check stealing sounds very involved--it would probably be easier if they just got a job

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

Financialgrl — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 19:06:45 GMT

@Cats3000 wrote:
I avoid a lot of this by paying bills on line and, where possible, having payments directly deposited to my checking account.

But yes, there's a scam a minute.

I can't think of anything I mail anymore other than maybe a birthday card for someone I don't see that often or maybe a "Thinking of You" card for a friend whose older, very sick and doesn't understand use of computers. I've always said if those crooks harnessed their energy into inventing or developing something that ppl need they'd be rich.