The mail stolen from the Turtle Creek subdivision last week included four checks, which will likely be bleached and reissued with higher dollar amounts, according to the Petaluma Police Department.

The thefts occurred off Sonoma Mountain Parkway August 6 when two men were seen reaching into mailboxes. The affected residents have been notified, according to Lt. Tim Lyons, a spokesman for the department. Still incidents of mail theft and fraud are happening with alarming frequency in Petaluma and are keeping local police plenty occupied.

On October 5, an 18-year-old man was arrested in Petaluma after he tried to cash a stolen check at the Bank of America on North McDowell. The check had been stolen from San Jose, bleached and then reissued in the suspect’s name for $955. Yik Lei Chan, of Palo Alto, was arrested and charged with burglary, forgery and receiving stolen property.

“Criminals call it ‘Red Flag Day,’” said Lyons. “So when you put up that red flag to alert your mail carrier that you have outgoing mail, you’re also alerting thieves.”

Instead, police recommend that all mail, especially that includes bank information, be taken to the post office.

Other instances of fraud appear to target elderly victims with false promises of having won the lottery or mail-in sweepstakes. One Petaluma man lost an estimated $6,000 last month after he received a phone call telling him that he’d won $750,000 in sweepstakes. In what has by now become a classic storyline, the victim was told that he’d receive the money after he sent a payment to insure his winnings via Western Union.

When the money supposedly arrived at the location, the man got another call, this time from someone claiming to be a customs agent. She too said that she needed additional money to release his payment and the victim sent money again, according to Lyons.

“We’ve seen these crimes for years, but it seems there is more of them now,” he said. “I just hate that seniors are being targeted.”

One of the challenges of investigating these scams is that they often originate in other states or even countries and use fake names and email addresses, giving police very few leads to chase. But local investigators always try to reach law enforcement agencies in the cities or states where the scam originates to try to follow any clues they can.

Another popular scam is via online purchases. Last month, a Petaluma man lost $4,700 when he sent two payments to Florida for a Black Mercedes Benz he had seen online. Police recommend to always see the car yourself before making the purchase and never wire money.

And if you receive a letter in the mail claiming you’ve hit the jackpot, by all means, call the Petaluma Police to verify that it's a sweepstakes they’ve heard about.

Most likely it’s fraud.