Residents in Plano are concerned about overfilled mailboxes, worried that it could open them up to a host of issues, including becoming a victim of check fraud.
Check fraud has been increasing in the United States since 2022, according to NPR, and experts and officials warn that criminals have it easy when it comes to getting hold of checks.
“Some of them simply go to your home mailbox and take the mail you left for the post office to pick up,” David Maimon, an associate professor of criminal justice and criminology at Georgia State University, told NPR last year.
This exact concern was on the mind of 76-year-old Plano resident Larry Strauss after he attempted to mail one check to the IRS and another to his son, according to CBS News.
Strauss said he began receiving alerts from his bank about possible fraud on his account after placing both checks into a post box outside a United States Postal Service (USPS) location on Coit Road in Plano.
Strauss told CBS News that the post box at this location was often stuffed with mail.
Both of these checks were allegedly stolen and rewritten for higher amounts.
“I had to change all of my user mail and my passcodes and my user name on my accounts because somebody has that information,” said Strauss, according to CBS News.
Strauss said that it seemed as though those who were supposed to pick up the mail “didn’t care” and advised people who have yet to pay a bill not to pay it through the mail.
The USPS issued a statement to CBS News, saying:
“Local postal management in Plano is aware of recent customer concerns regarding collection boxes and has taken immediate steps to ensure outgoing mail is handled properly and that all collection boxes are clear.
“Any customer who has a concern about mail security is reminded that they may also deposit outgoing items inside our Post Office in the lobby drop box. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced.”
The Dallas Express reached out to the USPS in both Plano and Dallas for further comment on these concerns but received no response by the publication deadline.
