Hawai'i County police are warning the public about a growing mail scam.

Police said residents have received mail from a supposed sweepstakes claiming the recipient has won a large sum of money.

In one instance, a resident received a check for $4,810 from "Ambassador International World Sweepstakes." The resident was asked to deposit the check and send the cash back to the company so the company could send a larger cash prize.

The check, which misspelled the word "special," was from "Don Stewart Association Spacial Account, P.O. Box 2960, Phoenix, AZ 85062."

Police advise to not cash or deposit such checks. Instead, people may call the police nonemergency line at 808-935-3311.