The possibility that someone would steal from the mailbox at Peace Presbyterian Church in Cary, North Carolina, wasn’t on the church’s radar. That changed when a detective from the local police department paid the church office a visit last December.

Detective Clinton Babb delivered the disturbing news that a large check written to pay all of a donor’s 2020 tithes had been cashed and deposited by someone other than church staff.

Soon after this news, law enforcement officials learned that other checks had been stolen from Peace Presbyterian and that other churches in the area had also been victimized.

Along with that, Parishioners of Peace Presbyterian kept discovering missing donations while processing their tax returns. “One donor was doing his taxes and wanted to itemize. He realized that his donation records didn’t match ours,” said Todd Blonshine, office and facilities manager for the church. As of late February, Peace Presbyterian reported that 19 checks from its donors worth approximately $25,000 were missing.