Neighborhood Alert: A Caution on Mail Collection Boxes

Dear Neighbors,

Please be cautious when using USPS collection boxes in the neighborhood. We have received reports of outgoing mail being stolen from street collection boxes — including one at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 21st Street, where adhesive placed inside the mail slot was trapping letters. Postal inspectors know this citywide scheme as "mail fishing," and stolen checks are often altered and cashed. We have followed up on this with our local 13th Precinct Crime Prevention Officers, who will reach out to the USPS Postal Police if need be.

In the meantime, we suggest bringing checks and other important items directly to the Post Office — Madison Square Station at 149 East 23rd Street is the closest — or handing them to your letter carrier. If you do use a collection box, mail close to the posted pickup time rather than leaving items overnight, and write checks in indelible ink, which resists alteration.

If something you mailed recently hasn't arrived, or a check hasn't cleared as expected, contact your bank right away and report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 or uspis.gov/report.

Warm regards,

Arlene Harrison
President, Gramercy Park Block Association