TOLEDO, Ohio — The United States Postal Inspection Service said it's cracking down on mail crimes across the country and has arrested hundreds since it launched a new initiative in May.
11 Investigates brought you multiple stories of people taking mail from blue United States Postal Service boxes, stealing the checks inside and then depositing them into their own accounts.
Ronald and Linda Black are just two of the many victims of check theft in northwest Ohio.
They told WTOL 11 in September they were out hundreds of dollars when someone stole a check they had deposited at the post office at 6020 Bancroft St. in Toledo and changed it from $136 to $936, then cashed it.
"They say I was minus $12," Ronald Black said. "They had cleaned out my checking account."
Jim Gray of Oregon reached out to WTOL 11 after seeing the Black's story.
"I see three of my letters here all tore open, checks missing. I went inside the post office here to find out if they knew anything about it and, obviously, as soon as I walked in, says, 'Oh yeah, people have keys to those boxes out there and they've been stealing, you know, letters and checks,''' Gray said.
They're among the dozens of cases police are investigating locally and by the thousands across the country.
"They're writing out checks and then cashing them or they're taking banking info and creating their own checks," Oregon Police Sgt. Ed Depinet said.
11 Investigates submitted a Freedom of Information Act request, seeking police reports from Toledo, Rossford, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township, Oregon, Sylvania, Sylvania Township and Bowling Green regarding checks stolen from blue mailboxes since Jan. 1.
Oregon provided seven reports. Sylvania and Sylvania Township each provided three. The other jurisdictions replied that there were no reports of mail thefts from blue mailboxes. Toledo police did not fulfill the request.
WTOL 11 also submitted a FOIA request for the same information to the USPS. As of this publication, that request has not been fulfilled.
Sgt. Depinet and Sylvania Township Detective Jake Albright both said the reports WTOL 11 received may not represent the breadth of the problem because not all victims report the crimes to local police and because the fraud and theft is being committed in multiple ways, outside of the blue mailboxes.
"It's not only checks. They're taking your personal information and creating the temporary paper driver's licenses that you get before the BMV sends you your permanent one in the mail. They're getting people's information and just going right into banks and will withdraw money from people's checking accounts," Depinet said.
Depinet told WTOL 11 he investigated 22 mail-related fraud and theft cases from August to November.
He said he recently filed charges against three people in the Columbus area and is prepared to file three more in the coming days.
Albright said he's investigated 50 to 60 stolen checks and said the same box on Bancroft Street where the Blacks had their checks stolen is a "problem spot" where a "tremendous amount" of checks have been stolen.
The postal inspection service said the thefts themselves are happening in two ways. Either suspects are using crow bars to break into the blue boxes, or they're using Arrow and Modified Arrow Lock (MAL) keys. The keys are universal to the boxes and were stolen from postal carriers.
WTOL 11 reported two cases of mail carriers being robbed of their keys in 2022. One happened in north Toledo, the other in west Toledo.
The problem has become so widespread that the postal inspection service launched what it calls "Project Safe Delivery" in May, which USPIS said is targeting entire networks, from those who rob mail carriers, to those that alter and then cash the checks.
A USPS representative said the project has resulted in hundreds of arrests.
"We have arrested more than 600 individuals since May, including 109 individuals for robberies and more than 530 for mail theft," said Joshua Colin, USPS chief retail and delivery officer.
USPS officials said they are in the process of replacing 42,500 old, less secure "arrow" locks with new electronic locks.
"Criminals use Arrow and MAL keys to steal mail from secure mail receptacles to commit financial crimes, including altering checks to commit check fraud. To make Arrow Keys less valuable for criminals, the Postal Service has replaced more than 6,500 antiquated arrow locks with electronic locks in select cities," a USPS representative said in a news release from the USPS dated Oct. 25.
The USPS also said since May, it has installed more than 10,000 high security blue boxes in high security risk areas, though it would not tell WTOL 11 whether any of those boxes were in northwest Ohio.
When 11 Investigates asked the USPS why customers are allowed to continue unknowingly depositing mail in compromised boxes, Colin said, "We don't want to tip the thieves off by identifying boxes. All we want to do is secure the boxes."
However, when WTOL 11 visited the Oregon post office on Oct. 5, we witnessed multiple customers depositing mail in the same box where Gray said his checks were stolen.
Additionally, the USPS said it increased rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person involved in a postal crime.
The reward for information in the robbery of a postal worker is $150,000 as of Aug. 21. It is $100,000 for information regarding theft of mail or postal service property.
The USPS said customers can take the following steps to protect their mail and their letter carriers, including:
- Don't let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox.
- Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
- Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
- Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or by calling 877-876-2455.