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Theft of mail is a growing concern among customers of the American postal service (USPS), as Stolen check reports And financial fraud continues to compensate through the country. Data from Fortune Indicates that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (Fincen) received approximately 680,000 fraud reports per check in 2022, an increase of 51% compared to the previous year.

And while the USPS has Safety measures implemented And has made progress to educate the public on how to prevent their checks to be stolen and high -ranking warn that even the most intelligent practices cannot protect your bank account. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

In relation: USPS has just issued a new warning regarding email .

"Making your check for a post office is not guaranteed that the check will not be stolen", " Frank Albergo , the national president of the Police Police Officers Association, said NBC 7 San Diego .

It is not a secret for anyone that fraud by check linked to mail is an increasing epidemic, noted Albergo. The US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has carried out more than 1,200 arrests linked to the flight of mail since May 2023, according to the Federal Information Network . But as Albergo warned, thieves have become incredibly advised to modify checks to their advantage. "We are far beyond washing control," he said.

Kelli is an entrepreneur living in San Diego, who was recently the victim of fraud by check linked to mail after his thousands of dollars in checks were intercepted by bad hands. In an interview with NBC 7 San Diego, Kelli said she was not aware of the accumulated flight until Chase Bank warned him of the suspicious account activity. A check for $ 49.94 to an energy company had been changed to pay Anthony to the sum of $ 9,600.

"They modified the checks. They cashed the checks," said Kelli. Before the incident, she relied on the Dropbox outside her local post office to send checks safely to pay her bills. "Twice a month, I sit down. I know what my bills are. I write them. I send them," she said.

Kelli had also written two other checks, the total of which approached $ 2,500 - one to discover and the other to continue the mortgage - which was approved and cashed by someone named "Sandra". A fourth check for $ 4,392 was cashed by a bad actor via Wells Fargo.

As a precaution, Kelli has changed his bank account to ward off thieves to steal other financial information. Fortunately, with the help of Chase, she recovered her money and ended the financial nightmare once and for all.

"[I] learned a precious lesson-not writing checks and putting them by post," she said.

Financial checks are increasingly high for thieves because they can "wash" them with domestic chemicals to erase the ink, and therefore, modify who the check is approved as well as the amount, depending on the amount Mark Salomon , Vice-president of the International Association of Investigators on Financial Division. "Sometimes they can even put a little supergrelue on the signing of the check while washing it, to keep the [original] signature," he said Aarpe .

But while Albergo alerted NBC 7 San Diego, thieves offer new methods that do not include washing: "Now, criminals print their own checks. They get the information from a check ... and they print Checks, "he says.

Local in advance , USPS have warned that "the greatest variable attracting these criminals to fly is customers depositing the mail in blue collection boxes after the last collection of the day or during Sunday and federal holidays". Therefore, the agency suggests sending mail via a retail counter for optimal safety.