Ever Have your Mail Stolen?

Last year mail was stolen from our next-to-the-street mailbox. Unfortunately we did not have a locking mailbox since we didn’t think this would ever happen. Lockable mailboxes were not necessary, we are in a GOOD neighborhood…WRONG!

The thieves drove down our street, looking for mailboxes with a flag up….you know, “hey mailman, pick up this mail”. I had written a check for $25.00, enclosed a birthday card for my niece and a baby gift. I put them in the mailbox, put up the flag, went to the grocery store and was gone for about 20 minutes. When I got back, my mailbox was open….Hmmmmm, my mailman does not usually come before 2:00 in the afternoon and it was only 10 am and he NEVER would have left the mailbox open. I had an uneasy feeling about it.
The next morning I went online to look at my bank balance…..WHAT, check #2033 which I had written for $25.00 was cashed for $625.00! I immediately called my bank….”I did not write this check!!!”
To make this long, involved story short, we had been robbed by a young couple who obviously made their living by stealing from mailboxes. They were caught on the following Tuesday with a car full of mail, a scanner, computer and chemicals which enabled them to “wash” checks. They were not the brightest people….she had “washed:” my $25.00 check, wrote it for $625.00 and made it out to HERSELF then took it to MY bank to be cashed. My bank had her on video cashing the check and even leaving an inked thumb print.
She and her partner are now residing in the state prison in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Moral of this story is: if you do not have lockable mailboxes in your area, do not put up the red flag when you have mail to go. It’s an invitation to be robbed!

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