Thieves breaking into mailboxes to steal private information

LIBERTY COUNTY (KTRK) -- A rash of mailbox thefts in the three cities in Liberty County has prompted an alert by the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

So far, the sheriff's office said there are more than 100 cases of stolen mail. Investigators said the thieves have been breaking locks on outdoor mailboxes that sit in front of post offices.

"Apparently what checks they find, they're washing the checks, which is changing the payee and the amount," said Liberty County Sheriff Capt. Ken DeFoor.

Eyewitness News spoke with one victim who did not want to be identified.

"To this day, I probably still would not know," said the woman, who found out something was wrong when a check written and mailed to her electric provider was not posted to her account. "In January, they sent me letter stating that they were going to turn off my electricity."

The woman told Eyewitness News, she also found out someone was forging her checks. She said a Walmart teller declined her check.

"Telecheck said I had a high rate of activity, it clicked," the victim said.

She said when she want to the post office where she mailed her electric payment, she was notified that she may have been a victim of a mailbox break in. Since then, she's been fighting to prove her identity to credit card companies.

"It's been eight days, and I'm still dealing with it," she said. "It's been consuming. It's been overwhelming. I do it daily, daily. It's non-stop."

The sheriff's office sent out a warning to others in cities and counties nearby.

"People should go on the inside and go and drop their main on the inside if they want to make sure it's absolutely secure," DeFoor said.