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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,160
Registered: ‎03-31-2010

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!

 

   

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,845
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

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.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,136
Registered: ‎06-25-2018

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

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,528
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

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 ***!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,160
Registered: ‎03-31-2010

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.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,136
Registered: ‎06-25-2018

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.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,916
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

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.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,206
Registered: ‎08-08-2011

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. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,201
Registered: ‎10-07-2013

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.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,629
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

Re: US Postal Mail Scam

[ Edited ]

@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.....Woman Frustrated 

 

SAD WORLD INDEED!

 

 

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