Photo: Getty Images
NEEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Needham Police Department is warning residents to stop using outdoor United States Post Office blue mailboxes after thieves were spotted attempting to steal mail from one.
Police said officers responded to a "mailbox phishing in progress" at the collection box on Great Plain Avenue early Monday morning.
"What this means is that suspects were actively engaging in stealing mail, specifically looking for checks to 'wash,'" Needham police wrote on their Facebook page Thursday. "The suspects were gone on arrival but mail was left scattered outside of the mailbox."
"We are asking anyone who has placed their mail into those specific boxes to check to see if your payments have made it to their intended destination," police continued. "If they have not or you think they may be delayed, please place a STOP PAYMENT on your account AND close your account immediately. Please monitor your financial accounts going forward if you did use these boxes."
Police urged residents to bring their outgoing mail directly into the Post Office and stop using the outdoor mailboxes.
The growing trend of check washing—in which thieves pull letters from inside the collection boxes, look for checks to wash clean of markings, then change the name and amount to cash themselves—has been reported recently in Springfield, Arlington, Weston, Wellesley, and Watertown.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok