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Man's Rent Money Stolen in Latest Mailbox 'Fishing' Scam, Police Say

By Dartunorro Clark | February 28, 2017 7:21pm
 Police believe thieves “fish” checks out of the mailboxes using a sticky substance to trap the mail.
Police believe thieves “fish” checks out of the mailboxes using a sticky substance to trap the mail.
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DNAinfo/Mat Katz

EAST HARLEM — A man mailing rent payments to his landlord had his money stolen in the latest in a series of street mailbox thefts, police said. 

The 51-year-old victim dropped two money orders totaling $1,470 in a mailbox located at West 136th Street and Broadway, police said.

The tenant told police he placed the money orders in the mailbox on separate occasions between Dec. 5 and Feb. 14, but that his landlord contacted him last week to say the rent was never received.

The victim reported the crime to the NYPD on Feb. 19, and police traced the cashed money orders to a Pay-O-Matic in East Harlem, at 2351 Second Ave., police said.

The suspect, who has not been identified pending an investigation, had altered the money orders and cashed them at the location.

A Pay-O-Matic representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incident marks the latest in a series of check thefts from street mailboxes in the area.

Police believe suspects “fish” checks out of the mailboxes using a sticky substance to trap the mail, which is nabbed by thieves later.

Police arrested three people for "fishing" envelopes out of Uptown postal boxes after residents in Washington Heights and Inwood spotted several mailboxes with glue along the inside lid to catch the envelopes.

There had not been any arrests in the East Harlem cases as of Feb. 28.

Check out the map below to see where thefts have been reported: