TOMS RIVER – Police are investigating a series of incidents where mail was stolen from US Postal Service curbside collection mailboxes.
Defined as “mail fishing,” police are looking for suspects who are rooting through mail in the blue curbside collection mailboxes for checks that they can fraudulently cash.
Police said that mail was taken from numerous mailboxes, including the one at the Post Office located on Water Street in downtown Toms River.
Police are advising anyone who has mailed check or plans to mail checks to “monitor your bank accounts to make sure they reach their destination and were not altered” and to “consider using verified online bill payment services or money transfer options offered through banks.”
Police are working with local postal inspectors to locate the mail fishing culprits.
If you believe your mail was stolen, police want you to report it by submitting an online complaint postalinspectors.uspis.gov or calling 877-876-2455.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends the following tips to protect your outgoing mail:
- Deposit outgoing mail at your local Post Office or hand your mail to a uniformed letter carrier.
- When using a blue collection box, be sure to deposit your mail before the last pickup time of the day.
- Do your best not let your outgoing mail sit in a mailbox overnight.
If you see suspicious activity near Post Office locations, call the Toms River Police at 732-349-0150.
