A Farmingville man says he’s out nearly $4,000 after a check he mailed to the IRS earlier this year was stolen, altered and cashed by someone else.

Ed Lippman exclusively told News 12 that he mailed a check for $3,912 made out to the U.S. Treasury in March to pay his taxes. Weeks later, he noticed the payment had cleared from his account, but when he looked closer, the check had been rewritten to a different name.

“It used to say ‘United States Treasury.’ He changed the date, he put his name, and a different format,” Lippman said.

Lippman’s bank, Four Leaf Credit Union, denied his fraud claim, saying he waited too long to report the issue. He said he didn’t realize anything was wrong because the amount withdrawn matched what he owed to the IRS.

He said the check was mailed from a blue mailbox outside the Farmingville Post Office. The credit union told him they’ve filed a claim with Bank of America, where the fraudulent check was deposited, but until that’s resolved, he’s still missing the money.

The IRS has given Lippman 180 days to repay the taxes before additional penalties are added.

Suffolk police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are still investigating as of Sunday evening.

Lippman says he’s sharing his story as a warning for others to double-check any payments sent through the mail.