Mail Theft and Check Washing

The Wilton Police Department would like to warn residents to avoid putting outgoing payment checks in their mailboxes.  We are experiencing an uptick in "Check Washing", wherein a check is stolen from a residents mailbox, the payee name and amount is "washed" and the check is rewritten for more money and to a different payee. We encourage residents to either hand their outgoing payments to their postal carrier directly or to drop off INSIDE a post office.  The outside mail drops at post offices have been subject to theft of mail in the past as well.  The included image is a map of reported mail theft and subsequent "Check Washing" incidents reported in the Town of Wilton in the last 90 days.  The United States Postal Service offers some great tips on how to avoid being a victim to mail theft at the below link:

https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention/mail-theft