The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department has issued a public alert regarding a rise in check theft and forgery crimes impacting multiple counties in the region. Residents in Daviess, Grundy, and Livingston counties have reported that checks intended for bill payments are being stolen directly from their mailboxes.
The stolen checks are then either altered using chemical methods to remove the original ink—a process known as check washing—or they are reprinted with modified details. The forged checks are then made payable to a different payee and often for a higher amount than originally intended. These altered checks are subsequently deposited through mobile banking applications at out-of-town banks, complicating efforts to trace the fraudulent activity.
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department strongly advises residents to avoid leaving signed checks in their mailboxes for postal pickup. Instead, they recommend that all checks be taken directly to the local Post Office for immediate mailing. Additionally, it is advised that residents regularly monitor their bank accounts online to quickly detect any unauthorized transactions.
