A Frederick County, MD, man says that nearly $180,000 was stolen after thieves intercepted his estimated tax payments, amid a wave of mail theft the Sheriff’s Office says it’s investigating.
The man says that two checks he mailed to the Maryland Comptroller and the IRS were stolen and altered, including an $84,000 check that was deposited twice. “They took the same check, they changed the payee, and it went through twice," he told WMAR-2 News. A $13,000 check was caught by the bank, he said.
Ongoing cases of mail theft in Baltimore and the surrounding area have led to calls for a federal investigation. Checks and money orders sent through the United States Postal Service are being intercepted, altered and cashed by thieves who have stolen what may amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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How are thieves stealing mail?
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told WMAR-2 News the series of incidents is “really unprecedented.”
“We’re seeing a string of theft of checks, probably upwards of 100 cases right now and probably totaling several hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Jenkins said.
Investigators believe thieves are utilizing stolen "arrow keys" — universal master keys that can open multiple mailboxes. In February, WBAL-TV News reported that these keys were being used in mail theft operations. A USPS Inspector General audit reviewed by the news outlet revealed that in January, several Maryland post offices had arrow keys that were either missing or improperly secured. The United States Postal Service announced plans in 2023 to upgrade from the outdated arrow locks to electronic locking systems.
Based on a Thomson Reuters report analyzing data from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, check-fraud Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) reached 682,276 in 2024, slightly increasing from 665,505 in 2023. This represents a dramatic rise of nearly 95% since 2021, when only 350,000 check-fraud SARs were documented.
In a recent public service announcement, the FBI highlighted the growing concern of check fraud stemming from mail theft. According to the alert, criminals are obtaining checks through various methods, including stealing from residential mailboxes and USPS collection boxes, conducting burglaries and robberies of postal facilities and workers, and through corruption involving postal employees.
In April, WMAR-2 News reported on several Baltimore residents who say their checks and money orders were stolen and altered, including one man who said he had mailed a check inside a post office.
The FBI warning says that thieves alter checks by a process called “check washing,” where chemicals are used to physically alter a check, usually changing the payee and amount.
Fraudsters can also use check “cooking” techniques, where photo-editing software and advanced printers are used to manufacture checks. The FBI says, “often these checks are written for smaller amounts which can go undetected for longer periods of time by escaping the scrutiny or visibility of a larger check amount.”
Stolen checks are then deposited by others colluding with fraudsters, or sold online to other bad actors. In Michigan, four individuals were recently charged in a case involving a $63-million mail theft conspiracy where it’s alleged two USPS employees stole mail — including a large number of tax refund checks — and two other individuals sold the stolen mail online.
Although financial institutions can fight fraud by encouraging customers to switch to digital payment methods, the best way to prevent fraud may be to make the public aware of the problem.
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Protect yourself
The FBI says there are several ways to protect your mail and your checks.
To ensure the security of your mail, avoid keeping it in your mailbox overnight, and arrange for the post office to hold your mail when you’re away. Additionally, reach out to the sender if you’re expecting important mail that hasn’t arrived.
According to FBI recommendations, protect your checks by using permanent black ink that resists check washing. Always fill in the entire payee and amount lines without leaving gaps, and never include sensitive personal information, such as your Social Security number, on checks.
The Frederick County man whose checks were stolen noted in the WMAR-2 News report that you should be sure to review images of your checks sent by their bank, before they approve any withdrawal alerts.
Getting credit reports once a year to look out for signs of identity theft is recommended by the Federal Trade Commission. You are entitled by law to receive one free report annually from each of the three national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). There is only one website (AnnualCreditReport.com) that can process requests for your free annual reports — the credit bureaus use this website to process requests, and you can’t request your free annual reports from the individual agencies.
The FTC also says to watch out for scam websites offering free credit reports, noting that these sites may “pretend to be associated with AnnualCreditReport.com or claim to offer free credit reports, free credit scores or free credit monitoring.”
What to do if you think you’re a victim of mail theft
As with any type of fraud, immediately alerting your financial institutions, as well as any relevant government agencies, should be your first course of action. The bank should reimburse you for funds taken from your account with an altered check; depending on your state, you generally have to report an issue within 30 or 60 days from the date of your most recent bank statement.
If you believe your mail has been stolen, file a report with your local law enforcement. You should also contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service online or by calling 1-877-876-2455, and the USPS Office of Inspector General online or by calling 1-888-USPS-OIG.
Report internet-enabled crimes to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
