The national leader of a postal law enforcement group is offering a dire warning regarding mailing checks.

Frank Albergo, national president of the Postal Police Officers Association, told NBC San Diego mail theft, fueled mostly by scammers wanting to get their hands on checks, is a growing problem.

“Walking your check into a post office is no guarantee that the check is not going to be stolen,” he said.

Banks issued roughly 680,000 reports of check fraud last year, up from 350,000 in 2021. The U.S. Postal Service reported about 300,000 complaints of mail theft in 2021, double the previous year’s total. The most common fraud related to mail is “check washing,” where a criminal steals the envelope and changes the payee’s name and amount of money that’s listed.

Sometimes this is done by using chemicals to remove the ink, other times scammers use copiers or scanners to print fake copies of a check.

USPS said its postal inspectors recover more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders every year, some of which have been altered through “washing.”

USPS has tips for protecting yourself against mail theft and check scams:

• If you deposit your mail in a blue box outside the post office, do so just before the last pickup of the day if possible.
• Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
• Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
• Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455

Another pro tip

Consider using a gel pen to fill out checks if they are going to be sent through the mail. Gel pens are harder for fraudsters to change because of the way the ink is absorbed into the paper.

Experts also advise using checks preprinted with security features such as watermarks, microprinting or with special inks.