Postal nightmare: Man warns others after thieves ‘wash’ mailed checks, drain bank account

SUGAR LAND, Texas — A Texas man says he learned a tough lesson after thieves stole two checks he mailed to pay bills and altered them for thousands of dollars.

Eric Hanson said what began as two small payments — less than $200 combined — turned into more than $7,000 in fraudulent withdrawals from his bank account.

“It’s been nerve-wracking the past three weeks,” Hanson said.

Because of previous mail thefts in his neighborhood, Hanson decided to take extra precautions by dropping the checks off in person at a post office just a few miles from his home.

“I put them in the mail slot in the lobby,” he said.

Days later, Hanson logged into his bank account and saw his balance had vanished, along with a $3,000 overdraft. When he checked scanned images of the mailed checks, he discovered the