More than a dozen personal checks were stolen in Martin County before they were washed and cashed for $110,000 according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
Eleven people mailed about 14 different checks through the United States Postal Service in late July and early August, according to the incident reports. Those were then digitally manipulated — or washed — and then cashed for about $110,000.
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WATCH HEREMartin County Sheriff William Snyder confirmed the thefts happened at post offices in Hobe Sound, Palm City and Stuart and said that bags of mail remain missing, WPTV, an affiliate of NBC6, reported.
WPTV has also reached out to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to find out exactly how these thefts were able to take place at federal facilities. Its Public Information Officer told WPTV that could not provide Monday afternoon.
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One of the checks was reportedly changed from $85 to $6,085, while another was manipulated for $35,000 in a separate case.
Martin County residents are now on edge.
“I probably won’t send checks through the mail anymore. It’ll be either credit card or paying everything through the bank,” resident Deborah Cairnes told WPTV. “I hope whatever the problem is found out.”
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Sheriff Snyder said he will send a phone alert to all residents to warn them about these thefts.
Anyone with information regarding the mail theft can call the U.S. Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.
