It's called the Canadian scam. A resident in Ogle County was the latest victim.

The resident received a letter from a national clearing house in Canada and a scratch and win lottery card. After scratching off the card, the recipient matched three prizes, indicating he had won $250,000.

The instructions said: call in to claim the prize, but when he called, he was then told he needed to send $15,000 to receive his winnings.

Luckily, the man contacted authorities before handing over any money.
Canadian authorities have been notified of this scam attempt.