DAYTON — The nationwide mail theft issue has claimed another local victim.
Most of the mail thefts News Center 7 previously reported on impacted individuals, but Mike Campbell spoke with Jay’s Seafood, a local business, that said they’ve been victimized twice.
Amy Haverstick, the second-generation owner of Jay’s Seafood, said the restaurant has had the same bank account for 46 years until mail thieves hit a year ago.
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“Somebody tried to cash two checks. One was in Huber Heights and one was in Kentucky,” she said.
Haverstick told Campbell that the stolen checks had been dropped into an outside blue box at a post office in West Carrollton. After that they changed tactics, taking all their mail inside the lobby of the main post office downtown.
Despite changing tactics, they experienced another mail theft a month ago when someone stole a $21,000 check, “washed it,” and tried to cash it in Brooklyn, New York.
“Literally just took the name off, the print was still there, her signature was still there, and they changed the name,” she explained.
She told Campbell that she wonders if she’ll now be changing accounts every six months or a year.
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News Center 7 reached out to the United States Postal Inspection Service and they said, “Instead of charging and arresting individual actors, and those low on the criminal organization hierarchy, we strive to develop cases to charge and arrest those at the top of criminal organizations who are robbing letter carriers, stealing mail, and perpetrating financial crimes.”
Haverstick believes everyone involved should face legal trouble. The mail thefts cost victims time and money and can hurt a professional image.
“We’re fortunate enough that we have a great reputation when it comes to payment but, still, its an embarrassment when someone is starting to question that,” she said.
Haverstick said she hopes the police and postal inspectors can reel in some of the big fish involved in this operation.