Watertown police are warning the public about an uptick in check washing incidents in town.
The police department said they've received numerous complaints about checks being stolen and "washed" after depositing them in USPS drop boxes across town.
Authorities said thieves will use some type of device with a sticky agent attached to it to retrieve mail form drop boxes. Then, they'll change the amount and name on the checks they stole, leaving people unaware until they're either notified by their bank or check their accounts.
These incidents have been reported to the Poster Inspector for further investigation, according to police.
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To prevent this from happening to you, police say you should use the drop boxes located inside the Watertown Post Office and Oakville Post Office.
They say you can also use indelible black gel ink pens to write your checks out because it makes the washing process more difficult.
For more information about how to safeguard yourself from checking washing, click here.
