A Merrick man says he lost over $9,000 after one of his checks was stolen and washed by criminals.

Jim Kyser says he placed the envelope containing that check in a post office mailbox on Sunday.

"I have no idea how it happened but it's pretty shocking that my account is still down $9,000 right now," Kyser says.

The check had originally been made out to the United States Postal Service for a $258 P.O. Box fee.

It was dropped in the Merrick Post Office's outdoor mailbox, but a thief got it, changed the name to Pierre Johnson and cashed it Monday evening.

Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison previously spoke about a check that was stolen from a mailbox and cashed for $52,000.

Common cleaning chemicals can be used to remove the ink.

Those who write checks should use a more secure gel pen instead of the common ballpoint pen.

"Do not mail checks from the mailbox in front of your home," Harrison says "If possible, switch to online banking from a secure computer."

Kyser says he will think twice before writing another check and is hoping police can catch the person who stole his money.

"I didn't believe it was true, but Chase confirmed it and I just hope it comes back because it's not easy to make $9,000," Kyser says.

He says he reported the incident to the Postal Service right away. The agency has its police force investigating.

Nassau County police did not have information about how common the scam is there.

Suffolk County police said in the Huntington area alone, they received around 40 reports of check washing since Aug. 1.