Police Say Mail Theft And Fraud Cases Increasing Ahead Of Holidays

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — Local police say they are seeing an "alarming number" of township residents reporting incidents of mail theft and fraud, and they warn people to be cautious if sending personal checks as gifts to loved ones.

Suspects have been breaking into both residential mailboxes and blue United States Postal Service collection boxes, stealing checks, and altering them for their own benefit, according to Lower Providence Township Police.

The police department, which announced the problem on its Facebook page, says that this is the time of year that many folks send checks, money and gift cards to friends and relatives, but "unfortunately, criminals also know this and take advantage of the situation."

Police asked people to be vigilant, and watch who comes near their mailboxes.

"The safest thing to do is go to the Post Office and hand deliver your mail to the postal workers inside the office to reassure it does not get stolen," the police department wrote in its Facebook post. "We understand this is an extra errand you shouldn't have to run, but we hate to see so many victims losing hundreds and thousands of dollars."

Other communities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region have also experienced an uptick of these types of theft and fraud cases in recent months.