3 Checks Stolen From Dropboxes, Altered: Chicago Heights Police

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Three people have had checks stolen from south suburban postal boxes and rewritten with a different dollar amount, police told Patch Thursday.

According to officials, the department is investigating three reports of deceptive practice after residents reported the checks never made it to their intended destination.

In each incident, the checks were sealed and placed in a U.S. Postal Service box. Chicago Heights Police Chief Tom Rogers told Patch the department notified U.S. Postal Service police but would not say which mailboxes the checks were stolen from.

Last month, a Chicago Heights resident had checks stolen from a post office dropbox in Glenwood. A Chicago Heights business owner also told Patch they had been targeted as well and no longer use the Chicago Heights Post Office.

In New Lenox, post office officials sealed off three drop-boxes outside the New Lenox Post Office after opening a mail theft investigation. A post office police spokesman told Patch the incidents are being investigated separately and not as related at this time.

The Postal Inspection spokesperson advised residents of the following tips regarding suspected mail theft:

• If you do not receive a check or other valuable mail, contact the issuing party as soon as possible.
• Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery to have a better idea of what mail you can expect delivered to you each day.
• Monitor your financial accounts and credit profiles for any fraudulent activity, even if you are not a victim of mail theft. Early detection is so important! In that vein, consider credit freezes with the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax).

Those affected by mail theft in the Chicago Heights area are asked to contact police at 708-756-6422.