Thieves Target USPS Mailboxes in Park Slope
And they're stealing rent and utility checks from residents!
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When Claire Fridkin dropped her February rent check in a USPS blue mail collection box outside Ballard Pharmacy on the border of Park Slope and Windsor Terrace, she did it the same way she has for the past three years: “I always stick my hand in really deep to make sure that it goes in, and I always bring it close to when they're going to collect it.”
After seeing the check had been deposited a few days later, Claire, a marketing and communications professional, didn’t think about her February rent check again — that is, until her landlord emailed a few weeks later to say he never received it.
“I immediately went into my Chase account to see a photo of the check, and when I clicked on it, it had been completely changed,” said Claire. “Check washing” is a fraud where common chemicals and fluids, such as nail polish remover, are used to “wash” away the original details on a check. Criminals change the payee information so they can deposit the funds, and the amount on the check is also often changed. Claire said the payee on her check was changed, and although the rent amount stayed the same, the thief rewrote it in their handwriting, along with the other details on the check.
Nearly the same thing happened to Alex Jonlin at the end of January, but this time, it was at the collection box on the corner of 9th Street and Fifth Avenue. “What I had written had been removed and someone had filled it out in different handwriting, making the check out to a different name than my landlord's — although they did a pretty good job reproducing my signature,” Alex said.
This is happening to more than just rent checks. Lynn Mallory, a lifelong Park Slope resident, told me she had a utility check washed — also in January. “I mailed it on 4th Street and Prospect Park West,” she explained. “A few weeks later, we saw that it was washed and made out for a lot more money to an individual we do not know.”
While mail theft is not new, a 2023 report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), part of the Treasury Department, shows a spike in mail theft-related check fraud across the country. In 2021, financial institutions reported 350,000 filing requests of check fraud to the FinCEN, and in 2022, that nearly doubled to 680,000.
“I have been hearing over the last couple of years more complaints from constituents about issues with the postal service than probably any other issue,” said Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY) at a House Oversight Committee hearing in December 2024. “We have 40 open or recently-closed lost-check cases that represents $3.8 million of lost or stolen checks.” Rep. Goldman, who serves New York District 10, which includes Park Slope, also pointed out that “New York is ranked the highest out of any state in mail theft-related check fraud, and New York City is the worst metro for package theft in the United States, with $945 million in losses last year.”
While the USPS Office of Inspector General has not audited the 10th District of New York, as of December 2024, Rep. Goldman asked Inspector General Tammy Hull to commit to an audit at the House Oversight Committee hearing. A similar audit of the mail theft mitigation and response at the Jamaica Main, South Richmond Hill, and Woodside stations in Queens, NY, identified 1,485 inquiries related to stolen mail or packages between April 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023.
How do thieves get your mail once you’ve dropped it in a collection box, especially if you know your envelope went into the collection box? A few ways. There are universal keys — called arrow keys — which access various collection boxes within a geographic area, and we know of several cases where these keys have been stolen from postal workers in Brooklyn. Thieves also break into collection boxes with force.
There’s also “mail fishing,” where sticky objects attached to string are dropped into mailboxes, and envelopes that adhere to the glue are pulled out. Sometimes, an adhesive is put on the opening slot of the collection box, which can stop envelopes from dropping into the box.
Rep. Goldman and other members of Congress have urged the Postal Service to increase its attention on NYC mail theft, and some changes have happened to stop the continued thefts, like replacing old collection boxes with more secure ones, removing collection boxes, updating the arrow keys with new electronic smart locks, and using extra surveillance cameras. However, as Rep. Goldman pointed out, “All these efforts are important, but the problem is that the problem is getting worse, not better.”
One of the best ways to ensure you’re not a victim of check fraud is to pay your bills online, but that’s not an option for everyone. “I was like, Can I Zelle? Can I do Venmo? Because I'm never going to mail you a check ever again. But he said it has to be a check,” said Claire.
If you use paper checks and send them through the mail, here are some tips from the NYPD 78th Precinct to protect you from check fraud:
(Top photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images. USPS collection box outside Ballard’s photo by Claire Fridkin. “Fishing” tools photo via DNAinfo.)
The housing lottery at 380 4th Avenue in Gowanus is open: The 17-story residential building has 60 units for residents with eligible income from $35,589 to $150,930. The application deadline is April 28th, 2025.
Bravo, Barnes & Noble workers! The Park Slope Barnes & Noble is one of three locations to ratify B&N’s first union contracts. The three-year agreements, which cover over 200 workers across the three NYC stores, include wage increases, healthcare coverage, and safety provisions.
03/07 Family Movie Night: The Wild Robot, 3:30PM-5:30PM 📍Park Slope Library
03/07 'NOVOCAINE' Movie Release Promo Party, 6:30PM-9PM 📍Kick Axe Throwing
03/07 Chamber Improvised Music, 8PM-9:15PM 📍Old Stone House
03/07 Improv But Good, 10PM 📍The Bell House
03/07 The Family Room Comedy Show, 7:30PM-9:45PM 📍Littlefield
03/07 Mayhem Release Party, 10PM 📍Good Judy
03/08 Making Brooklyn Bloom 2025, 10AM-4PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
03/08 Convening: Meet the Moment, 12PM-6PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
03/08 Girl Scout Cookie Pop-up, 2PM-5PM 📍Beer Witch
03/08 Night in the Library, 7PM 📍Central Library
03/08 Hoodo Hersi presents Extraordinary Alien *International Women's Day edition, 10PM-11:30PM 📍Union Hall
03/08 girlFRIENDS! Presented By Fun With Friends & GabSoul, 11PM 📍Littlefield
03/09 Erotic Drawing at a Sex Shop, 11AM-1PM 📍Please An Educated Pleasure Shop
03/09 Concert on the Slope: Contrasting Voices, 3PM-4:30PM 📍St. John's Episcopal Church
03/09 Motherf*cker by Jena Friedman (Work In Progress), 7:30PM 📍Union Hall
03/10 Romantic Comedy, 7PM-9PM 📍The Ripped Bodice
03/11 Stomp, Clap and Sing with Olivia, 10:30AM-11:30AM 📍Central Library
03/11 LITTLE WONDERS Trial Class (3-13 Months), 11:15AM-12PM 📍Wise Wonder Enrichment (Previously Book Nook)
03/11 Brooklyn Afternoons Online: Brooklyn Museum at 200, 2PM-3:15PM 📍Virtual, Brooklyn Museum
03/11 Ken Siegelman's Brooklyn Poetry Outreach featuring Pete Solomita, 5:30PM-7:30PM 📍Park Slope Library
03/11 Mark Polizzotti presents Command Performance by Jean Echenoz, in conversation with Christian Lorentzen, 7PM-8:30PM 📍Community Bookstore
03/11 Trivia Tuesdays, 7PM 📍Mockingbird
03/11 CRITICS AT LARGE LIVE, 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
03/11 Jordan Jensen, 10PM 📍Union Hall
03/12 Spring First Discoveries, 10:30AM-12:30PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
03/12 Danielle Perez: The Last Party Girl, 7:30PM-9PM 📍Union Hall
03/12 Live Band Karaoke with The Occasionalists: PS 107 PTA Fundraiser, 7:30PM-10PM 📍Littlefield
03/12 The 8th Annual One Liner Madness, 8PM 📍The Bell House
03/13 The Ways of Watercolor with Rhea Sarah Kirstein, 2:30PM-3:30PM 📍Park Slope Library
03/13 Mend + Make: Recycled Wool Felting Workshop, 6:30PM-8PM 📍Gone to the Dogs
03/13 Brooklyn Poetry Slam, 7PM-9PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
03/13 SARAH KEYWORTH: MY EYES ARE UP HERE, 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
03/13 Taylor Garron Comedy Show Pt. I, 7:30PM 📍Union Hall
03/13 Liza and Molly's Cornfed Comedy, 10PM 📍Union Hall
On Sunday, we spring forward an hour, which means spring is almost here — 13 days to go!! Hope you have a great weekend.
Kelley xo