Nearly 140K Illinois residents to receive checks for unclaimed property [Video]

CHICAGO — The state treasurer has sent out thousands of checks in the mail to get unclaimed money to its rightful owners — and he wants to make sure they get cashed.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs held a press conference Tuesday to remind nearly 140,000 residents to cash the unclaimed property checks, which total $13.2 million, as soon as they receive them.

“If you see a check in the mail from the state treasurer’s office, it is not a scam. All you have to do is open the envelope and cash the check,” Frerichs said.

According to the release, the checks are the latest round of the Enhanced Money Match program, which allows the treasurer’s office to automatically return missing money to Illinoisans without the need to file a claim.

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Illinois holds more than $5 billion in unclaimed property and more than $2 billion has been returned since Frerichs …