Warning Issued By Darien Police On Recent Mail Thefts

DARIEN, CT — The Darien Police Department is warning residents to take precautions when mailing items in light of recent instances of mail being stolen from blue boxes in Darien and other Fairfield County communities.

"The Darien Police Department continues to receive complaints in regards to articles of outgoing mail being stolen from inside United State Post Office depositories," wrote Darien Police Det. James Palmieri in a statement. "From the stolen mail, any outgoing checks are removed and altered. The altered checks are then deposited into private, often fraudulent/stolen bank accounts, causing a loss to the victim. Often times, the victim is initially unaware of the fraudulent activity until notified by their bank or the original payee of the check after having not received it."

Darien authorities are working with local post offices in an effort to have depositories upgraded to theft deterrent models seen elsewhere.

"The Darien Police have made several arrests in these cases, and continue to work with both the United States Postal Inspectors Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the remaining incidents. As our primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of our residents, we urge anyone mailing anything of value, to include checks, to take steps to safeguard their outgoing mail. In addition to valuables, personal and identifying information may be harvested from the stolen mail."

To avoid being a victim of mail theft, the department suggests taking the following steps:

• Walk the outgoing mail into the Post Office
• Utilize online banking to make payments where applicable
• Monitor any bank account where checks are drawn
• Make payments via check-by-phone when available
• Using auto-draft for reoccurring bills
• Setting up "Fraud Alerts" with your financial institutions

"As always, be sure and report and fraudulent activity to the Darien Police Department immediately, stated Palmieri. "We also encourage you to contact us should you have any questions or concerns."

File photo credit: Carly Baldwin/Patch

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