With the holiday season in full swing, loved ones are looking forward to sending and receiving some gifts in the mail.

But mailbox fishing–where thieves steal checks and potentially someone’s identity by using an adhesive to “fish” out mail from mailboxes–can lead some victims to seeing their bank accounts dry up. The holidays are usually heightened mail fishing season and those in Norwood are on high alert for any suspicious activity.

Mailbox fishers usually work to steal mail filled with money orders, checks, credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards. In some cases, a check can be found, tampered by a solution used to wipe out any text on a check or money order, and eventually rerouted to a new person, resulting in it being cashed out at the expense of the original mailer.

Hinge doors found in mailboxes have been replaced with slit covers to prevent such a scheme from happening. But Joanne DePerrie, a Norwood resident for the last 47 years, told the Norwood News that the problem continues. “The [mail] slits, the ones they have now, they all have sticky substance. You’re not going to be pulling out a pile [of mail] but you can bring out one at a time easily or even like three on a glue trap,” said DePerrie, who’s now waging a one-woman crusade in spreading awareness on mailbox fishing.

Be aware of Mailbox Fishing. Drop your mail off at the post office or pay bills online. Watch out for glue or sticky substances on the mailbox. #CrimePreventionTip #NYPDprotecting #NYPDconnecting pic.twitter.com/rSh5SOmHej

— NYPD 52nd Precinct (@NYPD52Pct) November 22, 2019

Although she has not been the victim of mail fishing, DePerrie is aware of a booby-trapped mailbox located outside of the Decatur Avenue post office on 3102 Decatur Ave. DePerrie fears that many innocent people will have their holidays ruined because of thieves targeting this location.

For DePerrie it strikes her that even after so many warnings from the local Police Department on mailbox fishing, elderly residents still continue the practice of using the public mailboxes.

“I’m afraid that the elderly people are feeling secure because it’s the [new] slit and thinking now they invented this magical mailbox that can’t be, tampered with, but it’s just simply not true,” said DePerrie said of the mailboxes. DePerrie is referring to the new mailbox models that were introduced to the Bronx in 2016.

The NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division has offered tips to make sure mail is protected. That includes dropping off mail as close to the scheduled pickup time as possible, or handing it directly to a mail carrier. On a blank check, permanent ink is recommended to use to prohibit any altering. A copy of a check or money order is also recommended.

The 52nd Precinct has also warned the public to check any public mailbox used for remnants of glue. For those who use mail service daily, it might seem unconventional to check for sticky substances but it can help in the long run.

For DePerrie, its common practice. “They’re doing what they’re accustomed to doing,” said DePerrie. “They go to the supermarket; they drop their mail off at the mailbox. People are set in their ways, it’s not easy to flip like that or it’s not going to happen to me is the other thought.”

The public is highly encouraged to drop off all mail inside their local post office.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.