QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, November 2, 2023 Page 14
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Karlin
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Queens resident followed most of the safety rules; still got burned
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He did just about everything right to protect his money — from using a specialized pen to fill out his property tax check to dropping it in a street mailbox with the thin, narrow slit to prevent mailbox fishing. And it still, for now, has cost him nearly $6,000 after the check was stolen, “washed” and rewritten by a thief who was able to cash it about two weeks go. Reconfigured mailboxes were designed to thwart attempts to fish for “I’m hoping to get checks, but are not infallible. PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON /FILE the money back,” said the victim, whose name is being withheld by cious. And they still cashed the check.” the Chronicle along with other possibly It had been made out to the city’s Departidentifying details. ment of Finance, with his borough, block “I had to pay interest because my tax number and all other necessary information payment was missed,” the central Queens on the memo line. resident said. “I read about two years ago All were still there, with the exception of that this was occurring. And I thought the the Department of Finance being erased for new mailboxes solved this, but they did not. a new payee. “Someone I mentioned this to at the post The thief even rewrote the original office said, ‘Oh no, it does nothing. Always amount back in to make sure the handwritbring it to the post office.’” ing matched. A few years go, it seemed everyone in The victim said the bank has told him he law enforcement from the U.S. Postal might have the money back within a few Inspection Service to individual NYPD predays. He’s waiting to see what happens. cinct detective squads were inundated with “I filled out an affidavit,” he said. There complaints about mail that was fished from also were vendors he had to contact to give older mail boxes by thieves using string to them his new banking information, ones lower bottles, blocks of wood or other items which collect automatic monthly payments. into the collection bin after covering them T-Mobile was fine. with a sticky substance in order to steal “But getting through to Con Ed, oh my envelopes. God ...” Any cash recovered was instant profit. The city, he said, also was of little help. Many checks could be chemically “washed” Personnel at 311 answered promptly, but so the ink from regular pens could be when he was transferred, the message just removed and new payees — and dollar said to call at another time. amounts, often substantially more than the And when he got through? original — written in. “Regardless of why it was late, they can’t “I still had time to mail it, but it was getdo anything about it. I had to pay the ting close to the deadline,” the man said. “It interest.” was the beginning of the month. It was at The NYPD and the Postal Inspection Sernight, too late to go to the post office. I figvice both recommend that people using ured, it was a mailbox on Metropolitan Ave- mailboxes should use them as close to the nue in front of a big law office. It’s got rollers last posted pickup time as possible so that and narrow slits. It’ll only be there one night. items are not sitting in a box overnight. What are the odds of something happening?” The NYPD also recommends not using He even took the precaution of using a gel them on weekends or holidays. pen, which is recommended as being toughThe police suggest that if at all possible, er for thieves to erase. people can give their outgoing mail to their And still something happened. letter carriers. “I think people need to know about this.” Check-writers should use pens with perAnd he is particularly miffed by what manent ink, and should check their account happened with his bank. balances regularly in order to ensure that “I got a call ... They knew something was checks were cashed by those intended to Q wrong. They called me. They were suspi- receive them.
