By Carol Anders Staff Writer
PLYMOUTH — The scam artists who have been conning people all over the country with phony Publisher’s Clearing House letters promising a huge payoff are targeting local residents now.
Official looking checks are sent to unsuspecting people asking that they deposit the check in their accounts and send back a portion to fulfill the stipulations to receive the “big” prize. The letters with the checks even give names and phone numbers of contacts for recipients to call for verification.

The scam artists hope that because the check looks “real” that it will be deposited in accounts. More often than not, money can be drawn off for a short period of time until is found to be fake. But just because a person can withdraw money, doesn’t mean the check is good.
In some instances, it has taken weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce. Funds that have been drawn out of the account become the responsibility of the account holder to repay.
Caley Dimmitt of the Plymouth-area was sent a check for $5,000. The accompanying instructions were on letterhead from Phoenix, Ariz. The check was from a company called All Size Screw, Co. and the stamp on the envelope was from Canada.
Fortunately, Dimmitt realized there were inconsistencies. She began searching for information on the Internet and discovered that innocent people all over the country have gotten similar checks and many actually sent money as directed in the letters they received.
Dimmitt said she contacted the police department, but also wanted to alert others of the need to be aware of the scam.
Jefferson Hankins of National City Bank in Plymouth said it is common for customers to come in with these kinds of checks. He said many appear to be a payment from a lottery.
He said, “They were coming in about every two weeks.”
Hankins added, “We try to educate our customers on the fact that the checks are part of a scam.”
Even if a customer asks that the check be deposited in to a personal account, Hankins said they put a long hold on it so that it can be verified prior to giving out any cash.
He said, “We strongly advise customers to not even put a check that seems suspicious in their accounts.”
The bank also posts an FBI Fraud Alert. The questions on the FBI warning range from asking if the check was in connection to communicating with someone by email to whether the instructions use the words “wire, send, or ship” money.
Sheriff Jon VanVactor said they take reports and try to alert the public. However, he said that usually the matter does not fall within their jurisdiction to prosecute.