Mail Fishing Scams On The Rise In Barnstable: Police

BARNSTABLE, MA — Mailbox fishing scams are on the rise in Barnstable over the past few weeks, according to police.

In mailbox fishing, thieves drop various items covered in sticky substances into mailboxes to retrieve deposited envelopes, Barnstable police said. They then look for mail containing checks, alter them, and cash them, leading to the victims being out thousands of dollars.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is working to replace older blue mailboxes with the pull down envelope slot with newer, more secure mailboxes that only have an envelope slit to place mail through. Along with these safety measures, the USPS also recommends taking the following precautions:

• Drop mail containing checks directly at the post office or hand it directly to your mail carrier
• If you are using a mailbox, deposit the mail as close to the scheduled pickup time as possible
• When writing a check, use a felt tip pen instead of a ball point pen.