There is no questioning that the amount of unclaimed money or property being held by both State and Federal agencies is staggering and growing each year ? current estimate is believed to be in excess of $40 BILLION.
On the prowl for new sources of revenue, cash-strapped States are pouncing on UNCLAIMED PROPERTY by shortening the 'dormancy' period of most abandoned property and strictly enforcing their statues for holders or companies to transfer over these funds to the State's custody. If a state audit discovers the company has been laxed or under reported these funds face stiff fines. As a result in the past few years, millions of unclaimed accounts worth over a $ billion are transferred to the States each year.
With all that said, the emergence of Unclaimed Money web sites have appeared on the Internet hoping to gain from such. Some are legit and do offer a valuable service and information to assist one in locating an unclaimed or lost asset. However, many offer a useless, misleading and costly service especially those that market themselves as "FREE" and "INSTANT" searches.
Here is the 3-prong trap and how it works:
There is NO National database for unclaimed accounts. Every State has its own Unclaimed Property Division and each Federal agency handles its own unclaimed accounts. All of the former and many of the latter have online databases for one to search.
The web sites have collected a few millions names with unclaimed accounts from States' online databases that can be readily done with software that converts the online information into their own database. With more than maybe over 100 million unclaimed accounts nationwide, processing only 5 million accounts, their database will likely have 90%+ of all American last/surnames.
One is asked to insert your name into their search box?and the "Instant' result says there is i.e.) $25,000 of unclaimed money in your name. Well, there can be many/hundreds of others with your name and their software generates varies spellings or numerous first initials to inflate the dollar amount. I.e.) if your name was Cathy Stevens, the dollar amount would include ? C. Stevens, Kathy Stevens, K. Stevens etc. trying to lure you into subscribing.
The 2nd tier of the trap is more serious. They purport that they normally charge i.e.) $29.95 for a single search, but a special promotion allows unlimited searches for 30 days for only $12.95 ? a deal right?! First of all, to conduct a thorough search, one needs to be checking regularly to find any lost asset. Their database is maybe 5% of all accounts and likely never refreshed ? too timely and expensive. And no incentive, they have 90% of all surnames.
It gets better/worse. If one does not read the terms and conditions, you will be charged $29.95 at the end of the 30 day period if you do not cancel the subscription. Based on one's credit card billing cycle, one may not see the second charge (assuming you forgot to cancel) in your statement until still another $29.95 is charged to your credit card.
Last, some of these services purport a 100% money back guarantee. One gets his subscription back if the State says the unclaimed account found in their database is not yours? Their database information was lifted from the State's database. The information that accompanies the unclaimed account will definitely tell one if it is yours. One only gets a refund if the State refuses to return your rightful account. That is not legally possible. The guarantee is worthless. Plus any written correspondence to the State could take 4-6 months to confirm that the unclaimed account was never yours.
Here are the sites that offer such services. They mask themselves under various URLs, but appear to be the same according to 'Whois'.
www.cashunclaimed |
www.cashclaim |
www.Lost-Money.CashClaim.com |
www.USunclaimed.com |
www.Unclaimed-Prop.CashClaim.com |
There are sites out here that offer a valuable service for assisting one in locating unclaimed or lost assets just be cautious of these common and costly traps. The only thorough way to locate one's unclaimed property is to regularly check with all databases for the States in which one has ever lived or worked in, as well as, other Federal databases.
Thomas Tuke is the CEO of American Refund Services specializing in assisting others locate their unclaimed accounts without paying a Finder's Fee.
http://www.unclaimed-databases.com
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..Steve Martin once delivered an opening monologue for Saturday Night... Read More
Some people in this world are thinking that their poor... Read More
Do you ever get this in your email box: Find... Read More
This new way is catching on around the world. People... Read More
As many people have observed, "Success leaves clues." If you... Read More
Money can be your servant or it can be your... Read More
I have a good friend who works in an area... Read More
1. Pay off high-cost debt. The best investment most borrowers... Read More
Perhaps the primary message of Rich Dad, Poor Dad is... Read More
From tender age, we were exposed to myths about money... Read More
Financial freedom is the power to do what you will... Read More
There are many wealth creation strategies and investment techniques available... Read More
Offshore strategies may or may not be right for you.... Read More
Uncle Sam and his band of merry-men, better known as... Read More
Now is a great time to make it a habit... Read More
How Much Money Will I Need to Earn to Retire?This... Read More
Everyone dreams of early retirement. The idea of no longer... Read More
Part of learning to become financially free is to begin... Read More
It is with great pleasure of having you here at... Read More
As you sit in traffic, inching along between irate drivers,... Read More
If you're wondering where to create passive income, then you... Read More
Let's begin this lesson with a definition of the term... Read More
Have you seen a picture of the Parthenon in Athens,... Read More
Simple tips on saving can very often make quite a... Read More
1. Save up to 50% per month on convenience cleaner... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..In most societies, we are raised to believe in the... Read More
The vast majority of working people are in debt. The... Read More
The word 'diversity' is a unique one. It can represent... Read More
There are many forms of investing online. While I can... Read More
The rewarding of high compensation packages to top executives who... Read More
When Building Wealth by Russ Whitney was released a few... Read More
Bottom line. No exaggeration. No hype. If you want to... Read More
Many of us do not consider the underlying belief system... Read More
Anyone knows that material wealth is measured in goods: apples,... Read More
In his best selling book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert... Read More
While you need to have a lot of positive-thought and... Read More
Masters degree not required...just a little common sense, a $5.00... Read More
Have you seen a picture of the Parthenon in Athens,... Read More
Retirement Planning the Offshore Way Why do so many of... Read More
Okay. So money doesn't really grow on trees. Unless you... Read More
We all go to school for about twelve years, kindergarten... Read More
Perhaps the primary message of Rich Dad, Poor Dad is... Read More
You have $100 in your bank account, your rent is... Read More
I have a good friend who works in an area... Read More
Want to be one of the lucky ones on the... Read More
At any time in history, no matter what the current... Read More
Most accountants, financial planners and wealth-building experts agree that there... Read More
Some people in this world are thinking that their poor... Read More
Financial freedom is the power to do what you will... Read More
At any time in history, no matter what the current... Read More
Wealth Building |