Mailboxes outside the Morton Grove Post Office remain closed following a break-in and mail theft that was reported to police on Monday, Feb. 7.
According to Morton Grove police, an employee arrived at the post office, 9114 Waukegan Road, around 7 a.m. on Feb. 7 to find the three drive-up mailboxes in front of the building had been broken into.
An unknown amount of mail was stolen from the boxes, police said.
There are no security cameras on the outside of the post office, according to a police report.
The report did not indicate when the mailboxes were last secured. The post office was closed on Sunday, Feb. 6.
Two of the three exterior mailboxes at the Morton Grove Post Office were also discovered open on Jan. 16, with some mail left inside, police said.
Theft of mail from U.S. Post Office boxes has been an ongoing problem in the area, with incidents reported last month in Niles, Glenview and Lincolnwood. Lincolnwood has been especially hard hit, with multiple boxes targeted around the community for more than a year.
Victims have reported that checks they mailed were stolen, altered and cashed by someone who was not the intended recipient, according to Lincolnwood police reports.
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A man whom authorities said was found with a U.S. Postal Service mailbox key and stolen mail was arrested in September after a bin of mail was removed from mailboxes outside the Park Ridge Post Office, 333 Busse Highway.
Anyone who believes they were the victim of mail theft is advised to report the incident to the police department where the theft occurred and also file a report with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by calling 877-876-2455, said Silvia Carrier, spokeswoman with the Postal Inspection Service. Victims of mail theft should also monitor their financial accounts and credit profiles, she said.
Various police departments, including Lincolnwood, are advising citizens who mail checks to use gel pens when filling out the checks because the gel is harder for criminals to wash off.
