ALBANY, N.Y. (WENY) -- New York State officials are warning consumers about a check scam that could be targeting your tax payments. The Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection warned Tuesday about the rise of mail theft and check washing schemes, citing a likely bump in mailed checks as tax season winds down.

The scam involves people stealing checks through the mail, and then using common chemicals, like nail polish remover, to take off the payee and dollar amount to rewrite the check out to themselves, or sell the now blank checks to others.

According to the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, check fraud crimes surged in 2020, and have been going up ever since. In 2022, the network recorded twice the amount of suspicious activity reports related to check fraud, over 680,000, than they did in 2021.

Here's how you can protect yourself:

According to New York State, do not leave your tax payment in your mailbox overnight. Instead, officials recommend dropping of your check directly at the Post Office as close to the last pickup of the day to minimize the time your check spends in the collection box. Officials also say you should use a black gel pen when filling out return checks, as this ink may be harder for thieves to erase. You can also track your mail through the United States Postal Service.

If you think you were a victim of check washing, state leaders say you should contact your bank and notify police and the United States Postal Inspection Service.