Police are urging residents not to use outdoor blue Post Office mailboxes to drop off their mail and instead bring their mail into an open post office to avoid an ongoing mailbox phishing scam.

“We have once again been targeted by mailbox phishing at area mail drop-off locations. The suspects are using keys to enter the mailboxes and steal dropped-off mail that is inside them,” police said in a Facebook post on Monday.

“It’s very disturbing and upsetting. It never occurred to me that that kind of a thing would happen,” said Martha Weiss of Needham.

Police said the suspects have been entering stand-alone mailboxes throughout busier neighborhoods including the mailboxes at GPA at Maple and the one on Brookline Street by Falcon.

“There are over 25 collection points in Needham. We are asking you to STOP USING THEM IMMEDIATELY,” police said.

The suspects continue to come back because of the quantity of mail they find, according to police.

Boston 25 first reported on this phishing scam in sept of 2022. That’s when a Georgia State University criminologist told us the stolen check market is big business.

“It’s not a group of adolescents stealing your mail we’re talking organized crime groups who at the end of the day know exactly what they’re doing,” said David Maimon, a GSU professor.

Police are telling people to drop their mail inside the post office to be safe.

“I know that this has been going on so we need to be careful what we put through the mail slots outside. So, I go inside,” said Laura Petrie of Needham.

Residents who placed their mail in the outdoor blue Post Office bins are urged to monitor their bank accounts and to make sure the money got to its intended destination.

If you think your payment has not, place a stop payment on your account and contact your bank and Needham Police at 781-455-7570.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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