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Foxborough Police warning residents of 'mailbox fishing' that targets checks

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Police in several local cities and towns are investigating cases of "mailbox fishing," a tactic thieves are using to steal mail and cash fraudulent checks.

Foxborough Police warned residents of the scam on Facebook Wednesday, explaining that the criminals stick a makeshift device in a United States Postal Service mail collection box and pull valuable items from it — including checks, money orders and gift cards.

They use chemicals to erase the ink on the checks and change the payees and often amounts, police stated.

The mail drop-off box the thieves targeted in Foxborough is outside the post office.

"I'm horrified. I'm absolutely horrified," said Janet Parkhurst, who opted to bring her mail inside instead of dropping it in the collection box outside. "Gosh, it's something you just do every day and you don't think twice about it."

In neighboring Wrentham, police are investigating several cases of the same scam involving a mail collection box also in front of their post office.

Related: New 'fishing' crime hitting Massachusetts postal service boxes

Police in West Warwick, R.I. arrested two men last month for larceny and conspiracy. Emiliano Pagan, 50, and Kerwin Navedo, 29, are accused of using a "glue-like mechanical device" to steal mail from USPS mailboxes.

Wellesley Police told Boston 25 News that officers arrested three men for the same type of crime earlier this month. Detectives expect several others are involved in a larger scheme.

Because "mail fishing" typically occurs at night, Foxborough Police urge residents not to drop off their mail during off-hours. Police also encourage the public to bring mail that needs to be sent inside the post office, and they ask residents to monitor their bank activity.

Often, a check cashed fraudulently won't initially raise a red flag because the amount is correct, but the payee could have been compromised.