Beware of grinches: They'll be looking to steal checks, cash from holiday cards this year

Isabel Hughes, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read

The envelope had been opened by the time the card reached the house.

It was clear, based on the way the glue stuck to both sides of the envelope, that the white paper was sealed at one point. Yet somewhere on its way to Talleyville, someone had tampered with the mail.

The sender of this particular greeting card hadn’t included cash or a check, but whoever opened the card didn’t know that. They likely only saw the colorful “Happy Birthday” through the thin envelope and thought they might get lucky.

While their snooping didn’t pay off this time, grinches will certainly be looking for money or gift cards to steal this holiday season.

Holiday cards sit in a bin at the U.S. Post Office on December 17, 2007 in San Francisco, California.
Holiday cards sit in a bin at the U.S. Post Office on December 17, 2007 in San Francisco, California.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Postal Service warned of an increase in mail theft, saying thieves are looking for checks in particular. Checks typically contain a person’s name, their bank’s routing number and account number, and sometimes a home address.

According to USA Today, complaints of check fraud reached around 300,000 in 2021 and jumped to 680,000 last year.

While thieves are increasingly targeting mailboxes – either stealing letters directly from residents' homes or from the blue USPS boxes, the postal service said – a quick Google search also yields a handful of news releases about postal employees tampering with mail, too.

As a result, experts warn not to mail checks, cash or gift cards, especially as the volume of mail increases as Christmas nears.

Safer ways to send gifts

Though including a check in a holiday card has long been an easy way to send a gift to someone who lives farther away, with the rise of mobile payment apps such as Venmo, Cash App and Zelle – and sites that have been around even longer, such as Paypal – experts recommend using more secure methods like these to send money.

Of course, some have concerns about hackers getting bank account information. But given money transfer sites and apps all use data encryption to protect users against unauthorized transactions and store users' data on servers in secure locations, they’re still safer than sending out a piece of mail with your account information printed for anyone to see.

READ: Mail theft is on the rise. Here's how to keep yours safe.

Venmo also allows users to set a PIN or require facial recognition to access the mobile app.

For those who are adamant about sending holiday cards with checks or cash through the mail, placing the greeting card in a Priority Mail envelope is the safest way to go.

According to the USPS, reports of mail theft have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the agency to caution people about mailing checks.
According to the USPS, reports of mail theft have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the agency to caution people about mailing checks.

While these are a little more pricey than the 66 cents it costs to stick a stamp on a letter, Priority Mail sent domestically includes $100 of insurance. The envelopes also look less appealing than holiday mail and come with tracking numbers so senders can ensure delivery.

Plus, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the post office delivers this kind of mail within one to three days, depending on what a sender chooses. This can be faster than traditional greeting cards, especially as volume increases around the holidays.

Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How to deter people stealing cash, checks from your holiday cards