Associated Press
ST. PAUL -- Reports of mail theft are increasing across Minnesota, western Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota, with a significant amount being reported in the Twin Cities, the U.S. Postal Service said.
Thieves are stealing envelopes from mailboxes, in some cases using a kind of nail polish remover to alter checks and cash them, the postal service said.
Sue Matt, a postal inspector in St. Paul, said many thefts are happening in Twin Cities suburbs, where mailboxes sitting along the street are easy prey for thieves.
According to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, the number of reported mail thefts in seven cities nearly doubled during a three-month period since last year.
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In Mounds View, Minn., residents have reported six recent incidents. Eagan, Minn., police have looked into 12 cases of mail theft in the past three months.
Some of the thefts can escalate into full-blown identity theft, where thieves use a person's checking account, driver's license and Social Security numbers to create computerized checks or open charge accounts.
