CHAMPAIGN COUNTY — Residents in Champaign County are being targeted by a new wave of mail-based scams involving fraudulent checks and requests for immediate cash withdrawals.
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In these schemes, scammers posing as Publishers Clearing House instruct individuals to deposit a check and then withdraw a large sum of money to cover purported fees for winnings.
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Once banks identify the checks as fraudulent, the account holders are held responsible for the withdrawn cash.
The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office advises anyone receiving these communications to discard them without calling any provided numbers.