KETTERING — As police continue to make arrests in the mail theft cases plaguing area communities, thieves continue to break in to post office drop boxes.
Kettering police told News Center 7′s Molly Koweek the department has more than doubled its arrests since May.
>> RELATED: Kettering police investigating new case of post office mailbox theft; Man arrested
We previously reported the department had arrested four people prosecutors later charged with mail theft.
>>RELATED 4 arrested in connection to recent string of area mail thefts, Kettering police say
On Tuesday, Kettering Police Lieutenant Brad Lambert said his department has now made ten arrests.
“It’s a crime of opportunity, but it’s very lucrative for them,” said Lt. Lambert.
Lambert said in 2022, thieves targeted the drop boxes at the Forrer and East Stroop road locations seven times.
But keep in mind, each time someone breaks in, they can take dozens of pieces of mail.
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Lt. Lambert said his agency has almost 50 official reports from victims, though he knows there are more out there.
“Hundreds and hundreds of checks probably each time that have been taken out of the mail,” said Lt. Lambert.
Last week Keri Laskey told News Center 7 how thieves tried to alter a check she had dropped off in Huber Heights.
“It was horrible, I felt horrible because of what had happened,” said Laskey.
A Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told News Center 7 her agency has had 40 reports of mail theft from the Washington Township Post Office in 2022 alone.
“It’s not just checks they’re going after, they’re going after any account information or anything else they can get on mail that has been sent one way or the other through the mail box, and they’ll use that account information to create, you know, their own additional accounts so they can continue their fraud,” said Lt. Lambert.
So how are people even getting access to the drop boxes?
Lt. Lambert said they are using stolen keys, which are then copied and sold.
The postal inspector is handling the investigations.
Since May, the postal inspector in our area has turned down every one of the requests for an interview News Center 7′s Molly Koweek has made.
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