North Bend - It appears that mail thieves may be targeting an area in North Bend, and with the added incentives of kicker checks and holiday gift money, local law enforcement is advising residents to play it safe.

In the last 24 hours, the North Bend Police Department says they've received a number of reports of opened mail found along city streets and walkways, mainly in the area of Wall and Chester streets.

Officer Jon Bohanan, who was patrolling the area Monday morning, says they've found at least a dozen pieces of opened mail.

Although it doesn't appear that any checks were stolen, he advises everyone to still be cautious.

"We get complacent through the years and just leave our mail in the mailbox and not pick our mail up promptly, even leaving it over night," says Bohanan. "We encourage you to pick up the mail as soon as you know it's been delivered or if you aren't going to be home, make arrangements to have a friend that you trust pick it up for you."

Other tips, he says, to help reduce the risk of falling victim to mail theft includes dropping off your mail to the post office directly, or hand delivering it to your mail carrier when you see them.

Right now, they have no suspects in these recent cases, but they ask anyone who sees anything suspicious to contact their local police department.