Cash graduation gift stolen Monday in Green Creek

GREEN CREEK — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public that a fourth mail theft occurred in Green Creek on Monday.

Three incidents of the crime took place in Hunting Country last week, with this week’s fourth incident occurring on Green Creek Drive.

Sheriff’s office officials are asking residents to report any suspicious activity, including suspicious vehicles in neighborhoods and witnessing nonresidents at a mailbox.

“Mailboxes that contain outgoing mail [as indicated by a raised flag] are targets for criminals looking to steal the contents, such as envelopes that contain payments or checks,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. “Mail thieves look for bank statements and credit card bills, which can be used to create counterfeit checks or fake identifications. Thieves also look for personal checks enclosed in utility bills or other payments.”

Mail thieves can take stolen checks, remove the ink and fill in the blank check with their name and amount of money.

Officials from the detective division said Tuesday that Monday’s theft in Green Creek was cash for a graduation gift. The victim put the mail in the box just before 9 a.m. and it was stolen before 11 a.m. when the mail carrier arrived.

The sheriff’s office also encourages residents to sign up for Nixle alerts so residents can be alerted of events quickly. To sign up for the service, people may visit nixle.com.

To avoid being the victim of mail theft, the sheriff’s office recommends that residents:

• Drop off outgoing mail (especially bills and payments) at the post office, or in a mail drop box

• Invest in a mailbox with a lock, or pick up mail as soon as it is delivered 

• Have checks delivered to a bank and arrange to pick them up 

• If away for extended periods, have a neighbor pick up the mail, or arrange to have the Post Office hold mail 

• Never send cash or coins through the mail 

• People who do not receive a check, bill, or other mail they are expecting should contact the issuing agency immediately.