Recently, investigators with the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office (RRPSO) were contacted by a local financial institution in reference to check theft and fraud. A check originally written for fifty dollars was stolen from a person’s mailbox, altered, and cashed for several thousand dollars. The case is currently under investigation.

As a precaution, please be mindful when mailing checks from your home mailbox, or even when using outside United States Postal Service (USPS) mail receptacles. In fact, in 2023, due to rising crime across the U.S. involving the USPS, Americans were advised to avoid depositing mail in their own mailboxes for a mail carrier to retrieve. Instead, the USPS recommended that patrons come inside their local post office to securely send mail.

If, however, you choose to mail your checks from home, the USPS and American Bankers Association have provided several tips to help you do so more securely. Please access the following link to review this information.

Once again, according to the USPS, if you are choosing to mail a check, it is always recommended that you use a secure mail drop such as inside a post office versus an unsecured public-facing mailbox.

If you have been a victim of mailbox theft and/or check fraud, please contact your financial institution as well as RRPSO investigators at 318-932-6701.

Check Washing and Check Theft Scams | American Bankers Association (aba.com)