The Chillicothe Police Department has received several reports of local residents falling victim to identity theft involving the theft of their personal and banking information.
Assistant Chief Rick Sampsel said it’s believed that this information is being obtained from the victim’s mailboxes. Police are asking the public to make it more difficult for criminals by watching for your mail delivery and not leaving mail in the box for any extended amount of time.
Police recommend removing mail in a timely manner and say if there’s outgoing mail, either deliver it to the post office location or watch for your local carrier to come by. If the public observes suspicious vehicles or subjects at your mailboxes, get a good description and report it to your local Police Department. In Chillicothe, you may call 646-2121 or in an emergency Dial 911.
The U.S. Government will soon begin issuing stimulus payments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chillicothe authorities anticipate that it will lead to opportunistic scammers. A reminder from officials is that the Treasury Department and IRS will never call asking for banking information to get your money to you. If someone calls asking these questions, police say it’s a scam. Get the name and phone number of the scammer, if you can, so authorities can try to track them.
If you expecting a check to arrive in the mail, police say the recipient can sign a form at the post office to track the mail that you are supposed to receive.
