Chapel Hill police investigate uptick in mail theft

Police in Chapel Hill are warning residents about a rising check washing scheme after a local woman emailed town council to complain.
Posted 7/23/2025, 11:31:01 PM Updated 7/24/2025, 12:00:06 AM

PROPERTY

THANKS FOR BEING HERE AT 7

O'CLOCK. I'M ASHLEY ROW.

LET'S START WITH WHAT'S GOING

ON WITH OUR MAIL IN OUR AREA

THAT PEOPLE ARE STEALING OTHER

PEOPLE'S MAIL. AND IN ONE CASE

STEALING IT RIGHT OUT OF ONE OF

THOSE BIG BLUE PUBLIC

MAILBOXES.

>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN CHECKS

BEING STOLEN. IT HAPPENED IN

CHAPEL HILL AND IN RALEIGH,

WRAL INVESTIGATES SARAH KRUEGER

WENT TO FIND OUT HOW THIS IS

HAPPENING AND WHY POLICE HAVE

TROUBLE STOPPING IT.

>> THIS BLUE MAILBOX RIGHT

OUTSIDE OF A POST OFFICE.

THIS IS WHERE A WOMAN SAYS SHE

MAILED A CHECK FOR MORE THAN

$5,000. AND THEN IT FELL INTO

THE WRONG HANDS BECAUSE THEY

ARE PUBLIC RECORDS. I HAVE

ACCESS TO CHAPEL HILL TOWN

COUNCILS EMAILS. IT WAS THERE.

I FOUND AN E-MAIL THAT CAUGHT

MY ATTENTION.

>> A WOMAN WROTE TO THEM

EXPLAINING MY CHECK WAS TAKEN

AND A FAKE CHECK WAS MADE AN

ATTEMPT TO DO A MOBILE DEPOSIT

FOR $5,500 WAS MADE. SHE SAID

THANKFULLY HER BANK FLAGGED

THAT AND DID NOT RELEASE THE

FUNDS. SHE WAS ON EDGE ALREADY

SAYING THE SAME THING HAPPENED

TO HER PREVIOUSLY AND SHE DID

LOSE MORE THAN $15,000, WHICH

TOOK 6 MONTHS TO GET BACK.

IT DOES HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON

VICTIMS. CHAPEL HILL POLICE

CHIEF CELISA LEHEW SAYS IT'S A

CRIME THEY'RE SEEING MORE OF.

WRAL REPORTED JUST LAST WEEK ON

A SIMILAR SITUATION IN RALEIGH.

SO MANY OF THESE CHECKS WE SEE

CASH AND IN OTHER STATES,

TEXAS, PENNSYLVANIA, CHAPEL

HILL POLICE TOLD ME THEY'VE HAD

20 REPORTS OF MAIL THEFT SO FAR

THIS YEAR UP FROM 5, 8, 2, 4,

IN YEARS PRIOR. DO HAVE ANY

GUESSES AS TO WHY THERE'S AN

UPTICK.

>> YEAH, I THINK WE SAW A REAL

UPTICK AROUND TAX SEASON TIME.

>> AND CHECKS THAT WE'RE GOING

TO PAY FOR TAXES. POLICE SAY IT

CAN BE HARD TO DETERMINE AND

WHAT PART OF A CHECKS JOURNEY

IS STOLEN.

>> MAKING THESE CRIMES HARD

TO SOLVE THE CHIEF OFFERS THIS

ADVICE TO PROTECT YOURSELF

USING BLUE OR RED INK OR

PERHAPS A SECURITY AT PENN MADE

FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO SCRUB

THE CHECK WRITING FOR DEPOSIT,

ONLY ON THE CHECK. REALLY

THINKING ABOUT REGISTERED A

PRIORITY MAIL SO

THAT THERE'S

>> TIME STAMPS AND SIGNATURES

THAT ARE INVOLVED. SARAH

KRUEGER WRAL NEWS CHAPEL HILL.

>> SO WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO

THE POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE,

THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ARM OF THE

POST OFFICE.

>> WE WANT TO SEE IF WE COULD

GET NUMBERS ON MAIL. THEFTS

© WRAL