Police urge caution after reports of mail theft in Bath Township
BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) - Bath Police urge Bath Township residents and business owners to be cautious when depositing checks and other correspondence with personal information following reports of mail theft, possibly from external United States Post Office collection boxes.
BPD said bank notifications alerted victims of the most recent incidents that checks deposited in collection boxes may have been stolen, payee and check amount information alerted, and subsequently deposited.
The victims are working with their lending institutions to get credit adjustments for the losses incurred, according to BPD.
Bath Police said the department is working closely with the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office on the investigation.
As the investigation continues, Bath Police recommend avoiding using home mailboxes and external USPS collection boxes.
Take outgoing mail directly inside the U.S. Post Office for deposit instead.
Bath Police shared the following precautionary measures recommended to minimize exposure to identity theft and loss of funds from altered checks:
1. Don’t use shared computers on public wireless networks for banking or online shopping.
2. Destroy credit/debit receipts and pre-approved credit offers.
3. Keep a list of financial account numbers in a secure location.
4. Install virus and spyware detection software on computers and other electronic devices.
5. Protect social security numbers and other personal identifying information.
6. Don’t click on links in emails that are from unknown publishers. Copy and paste links after verifying the sender is legitimate. When in doubt on the authenticity of an email, contact the sender by phone to verify the legitimacy of the correspondence.
7. When drafting physical checks, use gel pends or those recommended by your local lending institution to avoid chemical bleaching of the negotiable instrument.
8. Set up payee amount alerts with your lending institution to receive a notification when a check is processed beyond a certain approved amount.
9. Contact your lending institution immediately when discovering possible fraud involving checks or other negotiable instruments. Policies on credit adjustment vary between lending institutions regarding altered and forged negotiable instruments.
10. Contact the Bath Township Police Department if you’ve been the victim of identity theft, or a crime involving theft and altercation of a negotiable instrument.
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