TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — With tax payments closing in, the Travis County Sheriff's Office and the Travis County Tax Office want to warn people about thieves that are getting their hands on your payments from the mail.
Officials say they had about nine cases of property tax payments stolen from the mail totaling about $117,000.
"These checks were stolen from the mail, washed and cashed. The victims were unaware their property tax payments were stolen until they received delinquent property tax bills," said Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Bruce Elfant. "This is the first time we've seen this type of theft of property tax payments. But we are aware that this fraud is becoming more prevalent throughout Texas and the nation."
The United States Postal Service (USPS) said that thousands of thieves that target mail and packages every year are arrested.
Officials said there are steps you can take to protect yourself. You should avoid placing your property tax payments in a collection box at the post office after the final collection time of the day. They said thieves often steal mail overnight.
If you aren't sure when the last pickup time is, USPS said there are collection times listed on every box and times will vary from box to box. Officials also stated that if you don't want to leave the payment in the collection box, you can always drop it off at your local post office. There is a drop box located inside each building.
Another way to avoid becoming a victim of this crime is by paying your property taxes online. The deadline for those bills is Jan. 1.
The postal service also provides ways to preventing mail theft. You can see a full list of helpful tips on its website.