Wilkes-Barre rent check turns up cashed and criminally altered
Wilkes-Barre, PA — Police are investigating a case of mail theft and check fraud after a Hanover Township woman reported that a rent check she deposited in a U.S. Postal Service collection box was stolen, altered, and fraudulently cashed.
The incident was reported on Tuesday, November 4 at 12:54 p.m., when the 52-year-old victim visited Wilkes-Barre City Police Headquarters. She told officers that she had placed a $1,200 rent check addressed to her landlord into the blue USPS collection box located outside the post office at 300 South Main Street sometime during the last week of October.
According to the victim, the landlord later informed her that the check had not been received. When she contacted her bank, they confirmed that the check had already been cashed. A review of the cashed document by police revealed it had been altered after being stolen from the mailbox.
The case remains under investigation as officers work to identify who intercepted and modified the check.
Key Points
- A rent check for $1,200 was stolen after being placed in a USPS mailbox on South Main Street
- The check was altered and cashed before reaching the intended recipient
- Police are investigating the theft and fraudulent cashing of the stolen check