Mail thieves strike in Norridge and Harwood Heights, leaving at least 40 victims
NORRIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- New video released Tuesday shows a thief swiping letters from a blue mailbox in the northwest suburbs.
Police in both Norridge and Harwood Heights say they are tracking a surge in mail theft and check fraud – with at least 40 victims in the last six months.
As CBS 2's Tim McNicholas reported, police in those suburbs have issued a warning about what not to do with their mail.
Police say thieves somehow opened up a blue mailbox near the Norridge Village Hall and stole mail twice in the past three and a half months. It is a brazen crime, considering the police station is on the next block over.
Both thefts were caught on camera. Security videos from both May 25 and Aug. 14 show a dark blue car pull up, then someone gets out and opens the blue box — apparently with a key — before walking away with a handful of mail.
And this is not the only blue box thieves are targeting.
Luz Spieles dropped off a check to pay her water bill in a blue box outside a Post Office in Harwood Heights — the town right next to Norridge — only to become a fraud victim.
"They changed the name," Spieles said. "Very frustrated."
Spieles dropped off the $94 check in early May. Then, earlier this month, $6,000 was withdrawn from her account.
She learned someone somehow had stolen the check and changed the recipient name, the date, and the dollar amount — from $94.22 to $6,200.22.
"My heart started pounding, because I could not understand why it was withdrawn," Spieles said.
Norridge police say they have taken 40 mail theft reports so far this year.
The department has posted a warning to Facebook, telling people to skip the blue box and bring mail right into the post office.
******** MAIL THEFT ******** We have continued to see an influx of altered checks that are being stolen out of the...
Posted by Norridge Police Department on Monday, August 29, 2022
It is the kind of crime we've investigated for the past year — from the northern suburbs to the South Side.
So on Tuesday, we called postal investigators — again — to ask why it keeps happening. Again, the call went to a voicemail box that was full.
"It should not happen," Spieles said. "You relied on the Post Office to take care of your business."
As if the video from the Norridge incidents was not sufficiently clear enough, police say they can tell the thief used a postal key - because there is no damage to the box.
As for Spieles, she is still waiting on Fifth Third Bank to finish investigating her case and hopefully refund her.