Kent County Mailbox Scam Warning: Think Before You Mail That Check

With all the ways scammers try to get at us and our money—email, text messages, QR codes, even RFID skimming—it’s easy to forget that some criminals are still doing things the old-fashioned way.

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As low-tech as stealing from mailboxes is, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office says these kinds of thefts are increasing across West Michigan.

In a recent Facebook post, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office warned that checks are being stolen from residential mailboxes, then altered and cashed fraudulently.

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How the scam works is simple: someone puts a paper check in their mailbox to pay a bill. Before it’s picked up, suspects steal the outgoing mail. They pull the check and alter it by changing the payee and the amount. Theives then try to cash it as if nothing happened.

The Sheriff’s Office says business checks sent to utility companies appear to be frequent targets, but any paper check left in outgoing mail can be vulnerable.

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Officials are urging people to stop leaving outgoing checks in their mailbox. Instead, use a secure USPS blue collection box, drop it off inside a post office, or switch to online payment options when possible.

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They also recommend keeping a close eye on bank accounts, reporting suspicious mail activity, and contacting your bank immediately if a check goes missing or looks altered.