Checks Stolen from An Post Mail

GearMaven

Anyone else having letters containing checks being "lost" when mailed in Galway? We've mailed four envelopes containing birthday and bill payment checks since June from Salthill and one from Ballinasloe. ALL have gone missing!! They all were addressed to relatives or businesses in the U.S.

We've never had a birthday card with check or bill payment check go missing in all our time when mailing in the States. What is going on here? Is there no security in An Post processing facilities?

jor el

And you know that it was in Ireland that this happened, and not the USA, because?

watna

Why would somebody take a cheque if it was not made out to them? What could they do with it? I don't use cheques but it was my understanding that only the person the cheque was payable to could use them?

I could understand if you thought cash was going missing from the envelopes (sending cash is just silly) but how would it benefit somebody else to "lose" an envelope of yours with a cheque in it?

maxer68

GearMaven wrote: »

They all were addressed to relatives or businesses in the U.S.

Is there no security in An Post processing facilities?

Guess what - the common thread in your statement is USA. An Post do not operate the US Mail system.

Why oh why oh why do some many people want to blame "the Irish side" when it is so blatantly obvious that the issue is somewhere else.


In Ireland, your mail is collected in a big sack - put onto an automatic sorter (amazing piece of machinery) in portlaoise and put into a sack marked USA. It then goes onto an airplane and then it goes through the US Mail system which in many areas is no where near as advanaced as Portlaoise.

Basically, no-one in Ireland even touches your mail before its sent off unless the address is poorly written and the machine can't read it.

Agent_99

Sending cards in the mail with money is pretty risky, you should always put them into a second brown envelope and address that one. especially if you have a gift cheque/money inside. Nothing screams money more than a bright pink or red envelope containing a card to a dishonest mail carrier.

TheIrishGrover

I have a sister and a couple of friends in Galway. After years of money going missing from cards and envelopes we just stopped using standard post. Never had a problem with any other area. Never never EVER EVER send any cash or money in ANY form unregistered to Galway. EVER EVER.



EVER!!!!!

Suzyq

Well I had a cheque book stolen in the post here in Dublin. The bank felt that it was stolen at the sorting office as there had been so many instances of it happening at the same time so I don't think it's reasonable to say that it's not happening in the Irish system.

wmpdd3

In 20 years i,ve never had anything go missing. But last week some concert tickets didnt arrive. We know our post man really well and he said he has never seen them. I have had so many parcels delivered here i think the post man gets this house out of the way first!

allthedoyles

Our next-door neighbour had similar problems - with birthday cards gone missing .

He is blaming the Irish side too.

Don't know why though .

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Any issues with missing mail should be reported to your local district sorting unit so that if there is any dishonesty going on, an post will be able to investigate. If there is mail going missing, it won't be just one letter and there will be a common traceable pattern. Also, money shouldnt be sent by standard post, it should be registered, giving it a tracking number and also insuring it. OP, it does sound like the problem is on the us side though.

dilallio

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

I have a sister and a couple of friends in Galway. After years of money going missing from cards and envelopes we just stopped using standard post. Never had a problem with any other area. Never never EVER EVER send any cash or money in ANY form unregistered to Galway. EVER EVER.



EVER!!!!!

Last week my daughter went into a bank in Galway to get a USD draft. The teller asked her was she posting it and told her that a huge amount of cheques / draughts posted in Galway were been stolen, and advised her to register it or use an alternative payment method.

itsaposter

Couple years ago I’d a BOI laser card delivered, noticed the entire right edge (of the envelope) and a couple inches along the bottom had been neatly opened with a sharp blade, and a little crease where someone had bent back the envelope to peep inside. If I’d rushed to tear it open I might have missed it.

Guessed they were hoping for a credit card, probably not a lot you can do with a laser card without the pin. Was a bit surprised they didn’t just “lose” it rather than send on the evidence of what is in law at least an offence. Perhaps they were interrupted.

Have had a couple non-deliveries of mail containing cheques as well, one from Ireland and maybe 2-3 from outside Ireland, I doubt the cheques are much use to them, but they may be opening the mail because they’re mistaking the cheque for a banknote. It’s surprisingly easy to feel a cheque/banknote sized slip of paper in an envelope or birthday card, especially if you’re handling mail all the time.

Didn’t report any of these – to an post or the gardai, the why-are-you-bothering-me-with-this-information attitude of Irish “authorities” can be humiliating.

For years the UK was abysmal for mail theft, USA just plain incompetent for international mail.

Ireland used be fine, now about all you can say is it’s still better than the UK.

GearMaven

jor el wrote: »

And you know that it was in Ireland that this happened, and not the USA, because?

maxer68 wrote:

Why oh why oh why do some many people want to blame "the Irish side" when it is so blatantly obvious that the issue is somewhere else.

1. Because in over 45 years living in the United States, I've never had ONE birthday check or business-related check go missing...whether mailing within California, to another state, to Australia or even when mailing here to relatives in Ireland! No one ever expresses any concerns about mailing checks in the United States; in reading this board and the politics.ie forum, I see many, many Irish being warned about this.
2. Because talking to the bank teller in Salthill Bank of Ireland recently regarding the problem, he related that he has had several clients tell the same tale about their checks mailed to other locations in Ireland! So this is a very real fraud issue related to Ireland!
3. Because we saw the postal truck outside a local post office here in Galway...the driver came out from the post office with a loose, open-topped box from which poked the tops of letters, boxes and packages. A recipe for disaster and not consistent, I believe, with what some are saying is supposed to happen!
4. And many of the messages which followed my post spoke of the same problem and the same cautions from reputable sources!

Why isn't there more talk of this on consumer action shows or the radio? I've asked Galway Bay FM if they're aware of this issue. Hoping to hear more about what might be being done about it! People shouldn't accept this.

GearMaven

watna wrote: »

Why would somebody take a cheque if it was not made out to them? What could they do with it? I don't use cheques but it was my understanding that only the person the cheque was payable to could use them?
I could understand if you thought cash was going missing from the envelopes (sending cash is just silly) but how would it benefit somebody else to "lose" an envelope of yours with a cheque in it?

It is not a difficult process to "wash" checks using a special solution which removes the handwritten pen ink from the "Payable to:" section or the "Amount" of the check areas. Then they just write the check payable to him/herself and write in the amount they wish.

I've also heard that voided checks can also be used for opening a variety of accounts either by post or online. So stolen checks are valuable!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

GearMaven wrote: »

1. Because in over 45 years living in the United States, I've never had ONE birthday check or business-related check go missing...

I have the exact opposite experience. In the space of 2 years in the US I had 3 parcels disappear and 2 letters with cheques enclosed. Never happened me in 50+ years in Ireland though. It was rife in the USA.

Forest Master

I lived in Boston for 3 months. My Mam sent 1 parcel to my apartment - the postman left a collection slip - I went down to the depot and they couldn't find it. That's my experience with the USPS.

dudara

OP - this is the Consumer Issues forum, where we offer advice on how to deal with specific issues. We do not speculate on potential issues within An Post.

If you have a cause for concern, with specific details, then please make a report to your main head office. Anything else is just idle speculation.

amen

I've had the same problem in Galway city. Just birthday cards (no present inside) disappearing. I changed to use brown envelopes and no issue.

I've reported it to An Post but no response.

maxer68

GearMaven wrote: »

1. Because in over 45 years living in the United States, I've never had ONE birthday check or business-related check go missing...whether mailing within California, to another state, to Australia or even when mailing here to relatives in Ireland! No one ever expresses any concerns about mailing checks in the United States;.

I can say the same here - but I'm almost 50 years here (and over 30 years in business) and I can't remember any post ever going missing.



Key into google "Lost checks in USPS mail" or "missing birthday cards in USPS mail"- see the hundreds of pages that appear.

It happens worldwide, but as I said there little is any manual handling of international mail in Ireland. It's done by a phenonemal electronic sorter and this feeds all mail into the relative bags for onward transport.

For USA mail it then goes to the international inbound mail centre, then to one of 21 National Mail Distribution centres, then to local area mail centre, then to local mail centre, then to the postman.

If I were a bookie - the odds would be very much in favour of meddling on the USA side.

BTW - the biggest reason for mail not being delivered is illegible handwriting. Herself received notice yesterday to say Aunt from UK arriving Saturday - posted over 2 weeks ago but arrived with "misdelivered to Norway" stamped on the envelope and obviously opened to find where it possibly could be going to. - The address was written dreadfully poorly. (and had Eire instead of Ireland)

GearMaven

Shepard Mango Plankton wrote: »

OP, it does sound like the problem is on the us side though.

Why would anyone assume that? All our checks that family stateside are mailing are getting to their destinations no problem! How does that indicate that the US side is the problem? Others are saying they are having a similar problem mailing letters with checks WITHIN Ireland. Our banks here are warning not to send checks ANYWHERE when mailing from Galway.

Ok, Ok, I just realized we're playing a "tit for tat" game, when we should be mad that ANY postal system is insecure for mailing simple checks. So, since a major bank is warning of a serious issue and advising us to take precautions, I believe that is enough evidence to demand an investigation. Will contact the consumer show I see on TV and the local Gardai to see if there is an ongoing investigation. This shouldn't be happening ANYWHERE and indicates an insecure system and thievery going on.

jor el

GearMaven wrote: »

Why would anyone assume that?

Well, you yourself have stated for a fact that the theft is happening in Galway, but you don't actually know that at all. So how is saying it's more than likely happening in the US any different to what you said? It's easier to steal from the mail at the delivery end, because there's no one watching you. Stealing from inside the sorting office is more difficult, as there are many people around that could catch you.

The correct thing to do is notify the post office, and it is the sender that should do this. Going to the Gardai is a waste of time if you haven't even contacted An Post yet, and since you don't know where exactly this is happening. Hear say from a bank teller is not evidence.

If mail is being stolen in Galway, then an investigation will be carried out. Any report you can give to An Post will help them. It has happened before, in a sorting office in Dublin, but investigations take time, and they need evidence before involving the Gardai.

maxer68

GearMaven wrote: »

Why would anyone assume that? .

Because its physically handled about 5 times on the USA side and unless its badly written its not handled at all this side except with hundreds of other pieces of post when being collected. At all other times here it is in an automatic sorter.

And when you check for the same issue in the USA there are thousands of the same complaints WITHIN the USA. Same with UK, same within France, same with Australia, and same with Ireland.

YOUR assumption is nothing but an assumption based on hearsy from a bank teller!!:rolleyes:

And again - check the handwriting - is it legible and does it clearly state the address? This is the number 1 worldwide reason for lost/missing/non-delivered mail.

prettygurrly

Just to add to the list of things having gone missing in the post.

On one occasion I had 3 birthday cards lost, 2 from my parents and 1 from some random other person in Ireland. My parents live in Wicklow, I live in Drogheda. I did not report this as I had reported a "happy new home" card that went missing that had a gift voucher card inside, silly me. An post didn't even dignify me with a response. I have had at least 5 occasions in the last couple years of things going missing and when I told a PO worker that I have a terrible time with things going missing he was surprised!

I now write on the front of any envelopes containing a card that I send "unsealed envelope" so obviously there is no money inside if it's unsealed. If they really want to look inside I make it easy for the w*nker who keeps stealing my post and (s)he can just put it back into the system.

Under no circumstances should you send anything of value through the Irish post system at the moment without registering. There's some very desperate people out there.

coylemj

I live on the southside of Dublin. Virtually every letter that I get that isn't obviously a utility bill or bank statement shows signs that someone tried to open it.

skimpydoo

Well I have an idea that you could try but its not for the faint hearted. Get a card and put in it some monoply money. You also put in something sharp so that when the card is opened you could cut yourself. You then post the card to yourself. If the card is opened before you get it the person opening it will cut themselves. Anpost or their employees won't complain as they will have to explain why they were opening mail especially mail that appears to contain money.

slimjimmc

Ronan Leonard wrote: »

Well I have an idea that you could try but its not for the faint hearted. Get a card and put in it some monoply money. You also put in something sharp so that when the card is opened you could cut yourself. You then post the card to yourself. If the card is opened before you get it the person opening it will cut themselves. Anpost or their employees won't complain as they will have to explain why they were opening mail especially mail that appears to contain money.

Somehow I don't think anyone who's illegally opening mail would complain about a small flesh wound acquired while engaging in said illegal activity regardless of whether they work for AnPost or USPS.

skimpydoo

slimjimmc wrote: »

Somehow I don't think anyone who's illegally opening mail would complain about a small flesh wound acquired while engaging in said illegal activity regardless of whether they work for AnPost or USPS.

Who said a small flesh wound . If it's done on the job they have to get seen by the registered first aider as it's a work injury and they won't be able to stem the bleeding or have a bandage to hand to cover the wound.

Solair

The best way to root this out would be a few prepay gift cards which are hotlisted.

The thief nicks them, the card issuer quietly notes the transactions.

Check shop CCTV. Call Gardai...

wingnut

Relatives posted cash :rolleyes: in a card from Wexford to Limerick. Envelope arrived crudely taped together without the cash :mad:

GearMaven

Aaaghhh! Now cards with absolutely nothing but a letter in them have been sliced open and sent along. This is unreal!

Arciphel

Had a good one today, thought you'd appreciate this.

Received a letter containing a door plaque I bought off of eBay. The item is about the size of a credit card, but a good bit thicker; but looks like someone in An Post thought they would check it out on my behalf.

Here's the front of the letter...



Here's the back - complete with a nice exploratory slit in it...



Before anyone says that it is from a sorting machine, the slit is quite plainly made with a sharp blade and doesn't reach the corners of the card.