There seems to be a lot of people who want to take your money and run. Now more than ever in the age of Internet it is easier to access people’s information and get their money. The same can be said for unclaimed money. There are people out there who want you to believe that they have found your unclaimed money, and for a fee, they can get you your money. It is unfortunate that people take advantage of innocent people who may be looking to claim money that is rightfully theirs, nevertheless, there seems to be more and more unclaimed money scams. There are ways that you can avoid being a victim of these scams. If you follow these tips, you will not fall for these scams, and you will not pay anyone any money for money that may or may not even be there in the first place.

The things that the scammers do when they are trying to get your money are things that people in that work in the government and deal with unclaimed money would never do. One thing that scammers may do is contact you about unclaimed funds. People who actually deal with unclaimed funds will not contact you about any money that may be yours. One of the ways that a scammer will try to contact you is through your e-mail. If you receive an e-mail that states that there is money that is unclaimed, and that it belongs to you, do not believe it. State unclaimed property offices will never use e-mail to contact anyone. They do not have that information on hand, and it is very hard to verify if that e-mail address is yours because there are many different e-mail addresses out there, and they could belong to someone who has the same name as you. 

If you get this e-mail, and the people contacting you claim to be part of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), you definitely have a scam on your hands. The NAUPA is actually an organization that the administrators of unclaimed property belong to, and they have nothing to do with giving people any unclaimed money.

There are certain pieces of information that you are required to have when you are trying to claim your unclaimed money, but your bank account information is not one of them. You may have to give information, like your social security number and other personal information with a legitimate state treasurer to legitimize your identity, but they will never ask for your bank account information. If people are asking for this information to make a “direct deposit” into your account when it comes to unclaimed funds, you are dealing with a scammer. If you give them your bank account information, they will have access to all your money before you know it.

If you are contacted about being reunited with unclaimed funds and you are asked to pay a fee, then you should report the e-mail or phone call as a scam. There is never a fee to file a claim to get your unclaimed money. The government will never charge money for searching the databases, or if you make a claim.

One last thing to look out for in an unclaimed money scam is that if you are referred to another person that is different from the person you are directly dealing with. The work of a state treasurer or comptrollers is never given to anyone else, and they will always be the ones to work with you about your unclaimed money or property.

It is very unfortunate that there are people who will try to get money out of others for no good reason. Scams are on the rise these days, and it is important not to give money or any other personal information to anyone that is not legitimate. Look out for these signs so you can avoid these unclaimed money scams.