The checks are in the mail. Some people have been receiving what appear to be payments associated with an alleged jackpot they've won. It's all bogus.

The Neelys live in Council Bluffs but Gulfport Mississippi was home until Hurricane Katrina took everything but their lives.

Now scam artists are trying to take the savings the Neelys are rebuilding. They want Valeka Neely to cash a check and send them fees for a larger prize but she's told them no.

Valeka says, "I told them, why are you doing this? Do they know I just survived a very devastating storm? They said we don't know what you're talking about."

Tony Krutina received a similar, official-looking check to pay fees on a $37,000 home remodeling grant.

He says, "I'm an 18-year-old senior, still lives with his parents. Why do I need $37,000? It would be nice but what would I use the money for. I don't do any home improvement. My parents do that. And I don't own a house."

The postal inspector receives hundreds of realistic-looking checks each month from people who suspect a scam. Some have learned a hard lesson. If you deposit one of those checks in your account, your bank will demand that the money be refunded weeks later when the check is processed and comes up fake.