Scammers Using Glue Traps to Steal Your Mail
Rye PD uncovered a local scam on Wednesday whereby mouse glue traps were placed inside mailboxes to hold letters before they drop down into the box. The glue traps are an apparent attempt to steal postal mail, presumably part of an identity theft racket .
After receiving a call from a concerned resident, Rye PD canvased mailboxes in the City and found the mouse glue trap scam at work in four different mailboxes. The impacted mailboxes were outside the post office on Purdy Avenue, outside the Chase bank on Purchase Street, outside Starbucks on Elm Street and by the Locust Avenue firehouse.
“It’s a new one for the City of Rye,” said Lieutenant Mike Anfuso. He said the scam has not been seen in Rye or the sound shore previously.
The PD is looking for camera footage in and around the four impacted mailboxes as part of their investigation. Mailboxes used to be “fished” – scammers would use string with something sticky on the end to fish items out. That stopped about two years ago when Rye upgraded to anti-theft mailboxes that don’t allow items to be lifted back out.
PD recommends you drop mail off inside the post office, and hand items to the clerk. This is especially important when there are checks and other sensitive documents or information.
