FAIRFIELD — Chief Robert Kalamaras reports that the Fairfield Police Department is investigating numerous reports of mail theft and check fraud within the community.
Since September, Fairfield Police have received at least six reports of mail being removed unlawfully from mailboxes overnight. In some of these cases, mail that was removed from mailboxes has included checks resulting in subsequent check fraud.
Fairfield Police anticipate that additional cases may have also occurred throughout the community during this time.
Upon receiving these reports, Fairfield Police Detectives notified the U.S. Postal Service of these incidents. The United States Postal Inspection Service is actively working with Fairfield Police to investigate and identify the perpetrator(s) involved.
“It is as important as ever that residents remain vigilant and take steps to prevent mail theft around this time of year as there is typically an increase in checks, cash and gift cards being placed in mailboxes to be mailed out,” Chief Kalamaras said. “Any resident who believes that they may have had mail stolen from their mailboxes is encouraged to contact the police department at 203-254-4800.”
The Fairfield Police Department wishes to offer the following tips from the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to help prevent mail theft and protect your personal information:
- Deposit all outgoing mail at your local post office or hand it to a uniformed USPS letter carrier.
- Avoid putting outgoing mail into mailboxes overnight as the raised flag signals to a thief that there is outgoing mail within the mailbox.
- Deposit your outgoing mail in a blue USPS collection box prior to the last pickup time of the day.
- If you do not receive a check, credit card, or other valuable mail you’re expecting, contact the sender as soon as possible and inquire about it. Never send cash through the mail.
- When mailing something important, consider requesting Signature Confirmation for the intended recipient.
- Do not leave mail or packages next to a collection box if it is full, or if your package does not fit.
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