JOPLIN, MO.--- Joplin Police Officers say they've taken 5 reports just this week of thieves targeting mailboxes throughout the Joplin area. They say people put checks in their mail, and someone steals it before someone from the post office collects it. The thieves then alter the checks for a higher amount and cash them, and victims don't realize what's happened until their bills aren't paid on time. Officers recommend being aware of who approaches your mailbox.
"The safest thing is going to be to drop it into a mailbox somewhere that belongs to the Post Office, that way you know it's been delivered," says Chuck Niess, Joplin Police Department.
Officers are monitoring when the checks were cashed in order to compile a list of suspects.
