Maryland residents are warned to beware of a recent spike in mailbox thefts.
Police say thieves in the Montgomery County area are targeting home mailboxes to steal outgoing mail of residents. The thieves look for checks, which they try to alter and cash.
Several would-be thieves have already been caught in connection to these thefts for trying to cash counterfeited checks from their victims' accounts.
While the cause for this uptick in crimes is unknown, postal officials say that certain precautions can be taken to protect yourself from falling prey, including using blue, corner mailboxes or taking your mail directly to the post office.
Police are looking through hundreds of pieces of stolen and following leads to find the source of these thefts. Until one is found, precaution is the best defense against mail theft.
