000 Illinois Residents Sent Checks For Unclaimed Property: 'It Is Not A Scam,*

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Thousands of Illinois residents may have a check from the state waiting for them in their mailboxes.

The Illinois State Treasurer's office recently sent unclaimed property checks to 138,561 people in Illinois, totaling a record $13.2 million.

Treasurer Michael Frerichs held a news conference Tuesday to remind Illinois residents to cash these checks.

"We have done such a good job convincing people in the state that there are identity thieves out there, that they think it's a scam. They think it's a hoax and these checks go uncashed," Frerichs said.

These checks are part of the latest wave sent out through the Enhanced Money Match program, which allows the treasurer's office to automatically return money to Illinois residents without them filing a claim.