Is mail safe in NJ? Tens of thousands in checks stolen from official mailboxes

⚫ Police are looking for thieves who stole mail from drop boxes in Marlton

⚫ About 30 victims have been identified

⚫The thieves may have had a master key

EVESHAM — Police are looking for several individuals who stole mail from U.S. Postal Service drop boxes including the one located at the main post office in Marlton.

According to Police Chief Walt Miller, about 30 victims have been identified in the check thefts and about $160,000 in monetary losses from those stolen checks.

The mail theft spree started in June with the thieves hitting several mailboxes including the drop box at the Marlton post office on multiple occasions.

They would target checks that could be washed and reused, according to CBS Philadelphia.

“That allows them to alter the check and make it payable to another party and then they can increase the value of the check to whatever they want to steal from that person,” Miller said.

On Wednesday, officers witnessed some of these mailbox thefts and saw the thieves flee in a Lincoln SUV with Pennsylvania plates.

But there was no police chase because the culprits were headed in the direction of a highly populated area where a carnival was going on, increasing public risk, Miller added.

Police believe the thieves may have a master key to the box, but it’s not clear how that was obtained.

They are working with various local police departments to try and find the suspected vehicle.

Victims must now submit claims to their banks to recover their stolen money. Police also say if you did mail anything last Wednesday at the Marlton post office between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., that mail was stolen, CBS Philadelphia reports. Contact the Evesham police department for more information.

For now, if you must mail a card or a letter with a check inside, do so inside the post office, and not in the drop box outside.

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