Seven victims reported the theft of checks mailed from mailboxes in Darien, including mailboxes outside the Post Office — and in one case, a paycheck that was mailed to a town resident — the victims told police on Nov. 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 and 11.
The checks had been mailed as early as Oct. 6 (the paycheck) and as late as Nov. 3. In a ninth case, on Nov. 6, a woman told police, items of clothing had been stolen from her mailbox.
In each case of stolen checks being mailed out of Darien, the checks were washed in order to erase the names of the intended recipients. In at least three of those cases, the amount on the check had been replaced by a larger amount.
Police detectives are continuing to investigate each of the incidents.
SEE ALSO: After a Spate of Mailbox Thefts, Darien Police Advise Public Not to Put Outgoing Mail in Their Mailboxes
South Trail Woman
The victim mailed checks from her home mailbox on Nov. 2. On Nov. 9, her bank told her that one of the checks was cashed for a large amount of money, and bank officials suspected fraud. The victim said the check was made out to a person she never heard of.
Long Neck Point Road Man
A man said he put mail in his home mailbox on Oct. 29. On Nov. 9, his bank told him someone was trying to cash a check he’d signed, and whether it was all right to go ahead. The victim later learned that the intended recipient never received or cashed the check.
Post Road Resident
Two checks put in the outgoing mail bin of a Post Road business on Oct. 13 or 14 were cashed for a larger amount than had been originally written on them, and to a person unknown to the victim.
Check Stolen After Being Mailed From Outdoor Mailbox of Darien Post Office
A personal check mailed Oct. 30 from outside Darien Post Office on Corbin Drive was cashed on Nov. 1 for a much larger amount and made out to an unknown person.
Garden City Road Woman
This victim called her employer about not receiving her paycheck. The employer told her that the check had been sent out on Oct. 6 and had been cashed on Oct. 8. The victim showed police a copy of the check, as cashed, showing a fraudulent signature.
Allwood Road Woman
A woman living on Allwood Road (a private road) told police on Nov. 2 that she put her mail in her home mailbox on Oct. 12, including envelopes with personal checks. On Nov. 2, she noticed that a check she had mailed out was cashed to an unknown person.
Another Theft of Mail From Outdoor Post Office Mailbox
The victim told police on Nov. 3 that she’d mailed checks from one of the mailboxes outside Darien Post Office on Oct. 30. On Nov. 3, the victim discovered that one of her checks had been cashed in a larger amount than she’d made it out for, and to a person she’d never heard of.
Clothing Stolen From Blueberry Lane Resident’s Mailbox
Sometime between 11:15 a.m. 6 and 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 6, items of clothing were stolen from the mailbox of a Blueberry Lane resident, police were told on Nov. 7.