U.S. Postal Service officials are urging customers to take precautions when mailing checks in blue collection boxes, following a rise in check-washing incidents nationwide.
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Police in Crafton, Pennsylvania, reported three recent check-washing incidents tied to an outdoor mailbox at the local post office, reflecting a broader nationwide problem.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, check washing and related mail-theft schemes cost Americans more than $1 billion annually.
This process involves thieves stealing checks from mailboxes and using household chemicals to dissolve the ink, keeping the signature intact while rewriting the payee and inflating the dollar amount before cashing the check.
Dave Gealey, U.S. Postal Inspector for the Pittsburgh Division, said the U.S. Mail remains one of the most secure ways to send information. But to minimize the risk of theft, he said, customers are encouraged to place outgoing mail in blue collection boxes before the last scheduled pickup time listed on the box, ensuring it’s collected the same day.
Customers can also drop mail directly inside a post office, either handing it to a clerk at the counter or depositing it in the lobby’s outgoing mail slot.
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Officials also recommend paying electronically when possible — using Zelle, a credit card, or a bank’s BillPay service — or using black indelible gel pens for any checks that must be written by hand.
Regularly monitoring bank accounts and reviewing images of cashed checks can also help customers catch fraud early.
If mail theft is suspected, customers should file a report with local police and notify postal inspectors, either through USPIS’s website at www.uspis.gov or by calling its 24-hour hotline at 1-877-876-2455.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the postal service’s suggested precautions for avoiding mail theft.
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