Yonkers Police Department Warns of 'Fishing' Mailbox Scheme

YONKERS, N.Y. - The Yonkers Police Department is cautioning residents to be cautious of a mailbox fishing scheme that involves suspects attempting to steal mail.

The Yonkers Police Department is warning homeowners of a "fishing" scam.
Photo Credit: *File*

Zak Failla

04/14/2017 7:00 a.m.

This week, Yonkers Police Sgt. Dean Politopoulos issued an alert on behalf of the department warning of mailbox fishing, which is when “unscrupulous individuals use a sticky substance or adhesive on a lead to pull mail out of a mailbox.”

In the alert, Yonkers police issued some common sense advice to help residents avoid becoming victims of the scam:

Consider transferring money via other methods; 
Drop mail containing checks directly at the Post Office or hand it directly to your mail carrier; 
If you use a mailbox, deposit the mail as close to the scheduled pick-up time as possible;
When writing a check use a pen with pigmented ink that cannot be erased;
 If you see any suspicious activity around mailboxes, call the police.

Anyone who sees or suspects suspicious behavior can contact the Yonkers Police Department at (914) 377-6923.

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