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There’s a trend of ‘check washing’ scams in Winthrop, police warn

Checks are being stolen out of mailboxes in Winthrop and potentially altered using chemicals.

A USPS mailbox. John Minchillo/Associated Press

December 19, 2023

2 minutes to read

There have been multiple reports in Winthrop of checks being taken out of the mail, altered, and used fraudulently, according to police.

The Winthrop Police Department received six such reports recently, according to a release. Every victim who has contacted the department has said that they deposited envelopes with checks inside into one of two mailboxes: in front of the Post Office at Michael’s Mall and near the intersection of Hermon and Centre streets.

The victims were contacted by their banks and alerted to potentially fraudulent activity. They received copies of altered checks that they did not make out, police said.

The process is known as “check washing.” Scams like this involve changing the payee’s name and the dollar amounts on a check, according to the United States Postal Inspection Service. Sometimes, checks are stolen out of mailboxes and washed in special chemicals to remove ink and allow scammers to write on them. Some criminals use copiers or scanners to print fake copies of a check.

“Check washing is a common scheme in which suspects take legitimate checks out of the mail, alter them, and then attempt to cash them fraudulently,” Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty said in a statement. “I encourage residents who are mailing checks to take their checks directly into the Post Office as we continue to investigate these crimes.”

More than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders are recovered each year, according to postal inspectors.

Anyone who believes they may have had mail stolen or checks fraudulently cashed is urged to contact Winthrop police by calling 617-846-1212.

Officials offered the following tips to avoid being scammed:

Use black, gel pens when filling out checks. Black, gel ink can be more difficult to wash off of a check.
Do not mail checks via your residential mailbox, or any other insecure mailbox. It is recommended that any checks be mailed only in blue, Postal Service mailboxes, or that they are delivered in hand inside the Post Office.
Shred or burn canceled checks. Do not throw checks in the trash.
Check your bank statements often. Some banks will only reimburse funds lost to fraud if the fraud is reported to the bank within 30 days.
Don’t risk sending cash in the mail.