More Mail Theft Reported In Bergen County: Police

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — As local police investigate thefts from public mailboxes in Glen Rock and nearby towns, more people are reporting stolen mail and altered checks.

On Saturday, a Glen Rock resident told police that on Feb. 10 they had mailed a check from a mailbox outside of the Glen Rock Post Office.

But Friday, they were contacted by the intended recipient, who said they check hadn't arrived. So the sender checked with the bank and found out that the check had been altered and cashed by someone else.

Police said the activity was consistent with a recent pattern of thefts.

"Over the past several months numerous reports of this nature have been received concerning checks mailed in both Glen Rock and other area communities," police said. "Glen Rock detectives are cooperating with federal agents from the US Postal Inspection Service in investigating these crimes."

Two weeks ago, a Ridgewood resident reported that they had used Glen Rock mailboxes on two dates in February to send out around $7,000 to pay bills. The checks were altered, and cashed by unknown third parties, Glen Rock police said at the time.

And on March 3, a Glen Rock resident said they had written a check in the amount of $32.68 payable to AT&T on Feb. 17. Upon receiving their bank statement, they found that the check had been altered to $ 1,900.43 and made payable to a person they didn't know. The report did not say if the check was mailed.

Other Communities, Too

The Glen Rock police first said in early February that they were investigating the pattern of checks being stolen from local mailboxes.

But in late February, they said the incidents had occurred in some nearby towns as well.

In another disturbing twist, police say that some thieves used the victim’s account information to create additional fraudulent checks.

READ MORE: Checks Swiped After Being Mailed From Public Mailboxes In Bergen County: Police