GREENSBORO, N.C. — A lot of things have changed over the years but since 1915, the red flag on a mailbox has meant the same thing, there's mail in the mailbox to be picked up. It's called a carrier flag, as in, it's a sign your mail carrier needs to stop and pick something up. It's also a sign for your everyday average thief.
"This isn't anything new," said Caitlin Driscoll of the Better Business Bureau.
Stealing from mailboxes has been going on for decades. What thieves are looking for most often, are checks.
"When it comes to counterfeit checks and counterfeit check fraud, it's pretty commonplace. If you are choosing to mail a check, it is always recommended that you use a secure mail drop such as inside a post office versus an unsecured public-facing mailbox," said Driscoll.
And yes, that includes dropping checks into those blue mailboxes. The older blue mailboxes have a key, and some thieves have found ways to duplicate them. Other thieves simply take a water bottle, cover it with glue, and then tie a rope around the bottle and "fish" for checks in envelopes in those blue mailboxes. Thieves take the checks and literally wash the ink off with chemicals and then cash the check for a larger amount and take the money.
There are ways you can keep writing checks, but make them safer.
Change out your regular pen for a gel pen which is harder to "wash". Checkbook.org recommends the Pilot G-2 pens, I actually just bought a pack at Walmart for less than $6.00
