Thieves Target Mail Boxes In Larimer County
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- A two-week long crime spree has a thief targeting mail boxes in rural Larimer County.
The identity thief is stealing from their victims right after the postal carrier makes his deliveries.
The suspect is pulling mail right out of rural mailboxes, stealing checks and credit cards. Investigators believe there may be more cases than they know about.
"Could be mail that arrives in mailboxes and left unattended for a period of time, then the thieves access that and take it fraudulent purposes," said Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokesman Nick Christensen.
Christensen said up to 16 homes and businesses had mail stolen. The victims only knew afterwards when they saw money missing in their personal accounts.
Mail theft rarely happens in this area but what's most concerning to investigators is that it's all happened in a centralized area in Belleview-- a remote town just north of Fort Collins.
There are no suspects or even persons of interest.
"With credit cards and checks, they can be used in fraudulent ways and different amounts filled into the blanks and what have you, so it's hard to know the amount of funds that may have been tapped into at this point," said Christensen.
The post office is advising residents to only deposit sensitive material at the outgoing mail slot at the local post office.
If caught, the suspect could face local and federal charges.
