Baggage Handlers at NY Airport Reach New Low in Thievery

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

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We’ve covered baggage handlers stealing valuables from luggage multiple times before, but this might be a new low in screeners stealing from airports.

According to the New York Daily News, five baggage handlers at New York’s Kennedy Airport have been arrested and charged with allegedly stealing over $27,000 worth of U.S. mail that they were supposed to be loading onto international flights.</p

The workers reportedly swiped everything from credit cards to checks to money orders, including child support checks and money orders from military members. The defendants would deposit the money into their accounts, and also use the stolen credit cards to buy iPad minis from the Best Buy vending machines in the airports.

So if you mailed something that may have passed through JFK airport in the last few months, you may really be able to use the classic excuse that the check was lost in the mail!

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