Twice last week, town residents who mailed checks from the mailboxes for outgoing mail at Darien Post Office found that their checks had been stolen, altered to increase the amount and made out to people the residents had never heard of.
Police, who are still investigating the thefts, gave these further details:
In July, a woman mailed a check there. On Aug. 25, she discovered the fraud and reported it to police.
On Aug. 22, a man mailed two checks from the same spot. On Aug. 27, he noticed the checks were each cashed. The next day, he reported the thefts to police.
Editor’s note: Many banks can show you how to transfer funds electronically. You can pay a lot of bills electronically with credit cards, too. Some will give you a bit of cash back. It’s easier than mailing a check. Services provided by apps such as Zelle and Apple Card allow friends and others to transfer money online, so long as the sender and receiver each have the app. It’s so easy that even a Neanderthal like your Darienite.com editor can do it. With practice.
These mailboxes outside Darien Post Office are designed to prevent theft. And yet …