Thieves broke into management offices and drop boxes at five different Irving apartment complexes over the weekend, stealing dozens of rent checks.
The thefts left apartment dwellers in Las Colinas and Valley Ranch scrambling to cancel their checks before the crooks could cash them. And, police said Monday, that they feared the thieves might use account information on the checks in forgeries or to steal identities.
"It really bothers me", said John Guarjardo, one of the victims who lives at the MacArthur Park Apartments. "Instantly I was worried -- because they've got my routing number, my bank account number, all of that."
Irving Police Spokesman David Tull said the department had no leads that he was aware of Monday, and had not made any arrests.
According to police the five complexes hit include Colonial Grand, Santa Fe Ranch, Oaks of Valley Ranch, MacArthur Park, and The Arbors. All of the buildings are in the North MacArthur Boulevard corridor between state Highway 161 and North Valley Ranch Boulevard.
Irving police are advising people to pay their rent in person, to avoid leaving checks in drop boxes overnight. Tull also said the department encourages apartment managers to deposit rent checks frequently so they are not left in offices where thieves can access them.
