PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. (KTHV) - Some Pulaski County neighbors are keeping a closer eye on their mailboxes these days, after recent reports of mail thefts. The victims tell us that someone got away with a combined seven bill payments with personal check information.
Authorities have not yet found a suspect in this case. But a neighbor who witnessed the suspect steal the mail on Wednesday told the sheriff's office that the suspect appeared to be a young woman, driving a dark-colored, two-door vehicle, possibly metallic blue.
The latest cases from this week only involve two homes. But the victims want to get the word out about this because they feel there could be more.
Up until last week, Harold and Jan Davenport never had problems using their mailbox.
"Our neighbor saw this lady pull up across the street, opened our mailbox and she said, that isn't their car," Harold Davenport said.
Davenport says "that lady" stole their mail, including a $100 check to a credit union.
"We looked in our mailbox and our check, our mail was gone," Harold Davenport said.
The same thing happened to a nearby homeowner on Wednesday. The owners tell us off camera that six checks were taken. Davenport actually found one, left behind on the street.
"Me and my wife's main concern is how many other people have had this happen to and they don't have an idea because if my neighbor hadn't saw this, we wouldn't have known," Harold Davenport said.
"Probably 20, 30 times a year we get reports about it, and it probably happens more than that," Lt. Carl Minden said.
Lt. Carl Minden with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office says the real danger with these crimes is identity theft.
"The printers that are out there now are really high-grade and they can actually come really close to duplicating the checks you get from your bank," Lt. Minden said.
If it was him, Minden says, "Something of any personal information or financial information, I wouldn't put it in my mailbox."
But if you do, he urges safeguards like locks or a P.O. Box. Davenport says he'll now take bills straight to the post office.
"Oh yes, oh yeah, I don't want to go through this again," Davenport said.
Davenport says it was a bit of a hassle cancelling his check and setting up a new checking account as a result of all this. But he says it was just something he and his wife had to do.
Lt. Minden says we should also look out for incoming mail because that could include credit card statements and a thief could easily get our credit card numbers from that. He says either way, if you're suspicious this may be happening in your neighborhood, call authorities and let them know.