Thieves target Pennsylvania mail dropbox looking for money, checks

Police say the box outside the Elkins Park post office has been a target for money-hungry thieves

Authorities in one Pennsylvania county are advising people not to put mail with cash or checks inside a dropbox outside a particular post office.

The Cheltenham Township Police Department says the box, outside the Elkins Park post office on Ashbourne Road, has been a target for money-hungry thieves, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.

The mailbox has reportedly been struck by thieves dozens of times.

"Checks taken from the mailbox have been stolen, washed and fraudulently deposited into another account of an unintended recipient. The department has reported at least 70 mailbox thefts, with many happening at the Elkins Park Post Office box," the TV station states. 

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Authorities say a mail dropbox outside of a Pennsylvania post office has been struck dozens of times by thieves searching for money and checks.  (FOX 29 Philadelphia)

Police are recommending people take their mail inside the post office branch to hand it to a clerk or use a mailbox that has a surveillance camera.  

A Congressional Committee Field Hearing in nearby Philadelphia Wednesday questioned the U.S. Postal Service's performance and security ahead of the November elections.

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File photo of USPS Trucks sit at a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) facility in Elkridge, Maryland, U.S., on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020.  (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Members of Congress reported an explosion in constituent complaints regarding on-time delivery, mail theft, crimes against postal workers and concern for the upcoming election cycle," FOX 29 reported. 

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Several members of the Pennsylvania Delegation participated in the hearing, as well.

"Over the past two years, my district has had a dramatic increase in the amount of lost or stolen mail packages, undelivered packages, post office closures and poor performance by the local post office," U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA District 3) said.

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