PORTLAND — The Social Security Administration says some Social Security checks destined for people in Portland are lost in the mail.

Spokesman Roberto Medina tells WMTW-TV that an unknown number of checks scheduled for delivery last Friday were never delivered, even though they were mailed in time.

He says the agency is working with the U.S. Postal Service to determine what happened. If the checks don’t show up within three business days, he says they’ll be officially declared lost and new checks will be issued.

Officials say most Social Security recipients receive their money through direct deposit at banks, and only a small percentage get paper checks.