ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection says nail polish can really hurt your wallet. That’s because it’s all a thief needs to steal your money. Thieves steal checks out of the mailbox and use common chemicals like nail polish remover to erase the real amount of the check and fill in the number they want. It’s called check washing.

They also erase the payee then replace the name, preserving the signature on the check. And just like that your money is gone. New York’s Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection suggests you use black gel pens when you write checks because they’re harder to erase. You should also mail your bills inside the post office instead of the collection boxes and sign up for USPS Informed Delivery that provides a daily email with pictures of all letters delivered to your house.