VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — 4/19/21 – Steal the mail, wash the check, repeat. The cycle of “check washing,” a scam that involves mail and bank fraud, continues in Hampton Roads.

The cases of check washing at the post office on Thoroughgood Road in Virginia Beach, officially known as the Bayside station, go back as far as last spring. And for the first time, the United States Postal Service confirms that mail has been stolen there.

Our initial reporting in February uncovered three checks that were washed for similar amounts, all mailed from the Thoroughgood outdoor collection box. They started out as payments for bills, originally written for amounts of $200 or less. Read more