Thieves Targeting IRS Payment Checks Mailed By Beverly Hills Residents: Police

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Police in Beverly Hills warned residents on Wednesday about a scheme in which IRS tax payment checks are stolen from the mail, altered and cashed by thieves.

Authorities have identified local cases in which large checks made payable to the IRS — ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 — were intercepted from the mail.

The thieves altered the checks such that they were able to deposit the check into a bank account they or an associate controlled, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department

Police said the crime can be difficult for victims to detect because they were expecting a large withdrawal for their tax payment — there's no apparent reason for them to scrutinize their bank statements more closely than usual.

"Victims often do not discover the crime until several months later, when they receive notice from the IRS that their tax payment was never received. By that time, the altered check has already cleared, the funds have been withdrawn in cash, and the suspect account has been closed," police said.

Because of these delays, bank surveillance footage and other evidence are often unavailable, making protection "unlikely," police said.

The Beverly Hills Police Department urged residents to submit tax payments electronically whenever possible, instead of using checks.

If residents must pay with a check in the mail, police urged them to monitor their bank statements and examine the deposited check image to confirm it was processed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.