FORT WORTH, Texas — This is the time of year the U.S. Postal Service delivers millions more letters and packages.
But when Diane Dunaway dropped a large check payment in the mail, it never crossed her mind about the possibility of it being stolen. Just for her own record, Diane even took a photo of her putting the check in a drop box.
"I was very careful," said Dunaway. "And then to find out they did not get the payment. I was flabbergasted."
So now Dunaway is warning others about mail theft. After reporting the theft to Fort Worth police, Dunaway said she learned about many more victims and that the U.S. Postal Inspector would get involved.
"It's a federal felony," said Sean Smith, the U.S. Postal Inspector for the Fort Worth Division. "Stealing mail is something we take very seriously."
Catching mail theft suspects is nothing new to U.S. Postal Inspector Sean Smith and his law enforcement partners. Mail theft tends to increase during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season each year. Last Christmas season Lake Worth Police helped catch two men in the act burglarizing drop boxes.
"We try to do our best and we investigate it to the fullest extent to hold those individuals that are stealing mail," Smith said.
Smith tells postal customers to stay safe by retrieving mail from the box as soon as possible, only use safe and secure mail drops, report people following carriers to 911, and sign up for their free informed delivery feature.
"It sends you an email every morning for the mail that you should expect to see in your mailbox that day," said Smith.
Fortunately, Dunaway was able to prove she placed her check in the mailbox and that she was a victim of fraud. The suspects stole her check, added a fake name on the front of the check and cashed it. After being fully reimbursed the thousands of dollars stolen from her account, Dunaway has decided to change the way she makes payments.
"I will never, ever, never, mail a check again," said Dunaway.