Unclaimed Funds

[VaCollector]

UPDATE!

In addition to the exorbitant amount of lost money that I received earlier ($63.79) the mailman actually brought me an envelope from the payer of the original funds ~ MET.....and so it appears that my efforts WERE worth it.....as I am now the proud owner of 28 shares of MetLife....and so (once again) I wanted to say THANK YOU to the OP as I would not have known about this otherwise!!

 

[jIMOh]

Every state has a list of persons with unclaimed funds in that state. The amounts are generally small but can be substantial. The funds are from a variety of sources, ranging from unclaimed tax refunds to magazine subscription refunds. People who most likely have unclaimed funds are those who have moved, changed their name, or there are accounts for people who have died.

To obtain funds, each state has a simple form to complete. There are no costs or fees. Only legal heirs can receive funds from the deceased. You can find a link to each state’s listing from the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators:

http://unclaimed.org/mainframe.asp?VisitorType=owner

A few months ago, I was looking through these lists, and found that my uncle, who died five years ago had unclaimed funds in his state. I notified my cousin, who filed the paperwork. Yesterday, to my great surprise, I received a check from my cousin. He wanted to share the money, which they would not have otherwise known about, and sent me a finder’s fee.

Happy treasure hunting. Also, I will not refuse any finder’s fees.

$420 for me, thx. If you are ever in Cincinnati, I owe you a beer.

 

[OAG]

I wonder if any of the States use this method to find people who OWE money, like child support, etc.? Seems it may be a way to find a very good address for someone they were looking for. But I guess someone that is running away from a State would never apply.

 

[Sandy]

VAcollector and Jimoh.

Glad this worked so well for you both. My cousin must have gotten a large check. He apparently split it with his brother and I also received a finders fee from the brother, my other cousin.

RWood:
Actually, states have used a similar technique to round up folks with outstanding arrest warrants. Law enforcement would send those with outstanding warrants a letter saying they won a prize and needed to come to a stated address on a set date and time. When everyone showed up, law enforcement arrested them all. I haven't heard of this scheme in a number of years, so I suspect the courts put the kabosh on it.

 

[sweetana3]

I once helped a woman find 2.5 million left to her by a husband and missed by the estate tax attorney. It was turned over to unclaimed property and she was able to prove it was hers. Long and satisfying story.

 

[FinanceDude]

I once helped a woman find 2.5 million left to her by a husband and missed by the estate tax attorney. It was turned over to unclaimed property and she was able to prove it was hers. Long and satisfying story.

Did you get a finder's fee??