BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities are searching for a suspect after two local postal carriers in two different counties have been robbed of the keys that open up groups of mailboxes.

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The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the same person may have been involved in both robberies that happened about an hour apart.

The first happened in Brevard County at a business park off Wickham Road near Viera, where the suspect pulled a gun on the mail carrier.

Officials said a young man in a ski mask pulled a gun and robbed the postal carrier for his key that gets into the boxes.

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The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said he was robbed and his arrow key, a universal key used to open all of the community mailboxes and blue drop boxes in a particular area, was stolen.

The suspects have been robbing postal carriers to get their hands on the keys all around Central Florida, then stealing mail looking for checks and other mail containing personal information.

One local business near the area said it stopped putting mail in the boxes because they’ve had 27 checks stolen, and many of them were washed and cashed in South Florida.

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The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the same car used in the Melbourne robbery was also used in a robbery in Allegeny Court in the Pine Hills area about an hour after the robbery. An arrow key was stolen there as well.

The vehicle is described as a silver or grey Nissan Altima.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious involving a car in those areas is asked to call local law enforcement or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

READ: Reward offered after second U.S. Postal Service letter carrier robbed in Central Florida

Video: How you can protect your account next time you mail a check Here's how you can protect your account next time you mail a check. (Karla Ray, WFTV.com)

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