Police Warn of “Check Washing” as Checks are Stolen from Local Mailboxes

Westport Police Department

The Westport Police Department is seeing an uptick in what is referred to as “check washing” cases.  Check washing is the process of erasing the details from an already completed check to allow them to be rewritten.  In most instances, checks that have been put in mailboxes and are awaiting pickup by a postal employee are stolen. Once stolen, the suspect(s) alter the check by changing the payee as well as the amount and then cash or deposit  it at a bank.

The checks that end up being “washed” have been stolen from both residential and United States Postal Service mailboxes within Westport.  To prevent this from occurring, the Westport Police recommends that our residents/visitors avoid placing checks they have written directly in free standing mailboxes.  Instead, it would likely be safer to either complete the transaction electronically and if that is not possible mail the check from inside the post office.  Although inconvenient, adhering to these suggestions should reduce the occurrences of this type of crime in town.

The Westport Police Detective Bureau is actively investigating each of these cases.