Milton Police Investigate US Postal Service Mailbox Check Thefts

MILTON, MA — Milton police said they are investigating an alarming string of reports of personal checks placed in U.S. Postal Service mailboxes in the town being intercepted and altered. Police said the names of the "payee" on the checks were altered and the dollar amount of the check were changed.

Milton police said they believe that after the letters were placed in the mailbox they were "fished" out by an unknown individual using a material coated in glue, or another sticky substance, and tied to a string. Police said similar types of mail thefts have been reported in Wellesley and Newton.

Milton police suggest that residents mailing an envelope that contains a check or money order do so either inside of a post office or as close to the scheduled pick-up time as possible.