Unclaimed Property. Is this legit?

[Guinevere]

A few months ago, a friend told me about a website that tells you if you have unclaimed property in various states.  I looked myself up, and I did, but I didn't continue trying to claim it because it wanted my ssn, and other personal information.    My unclaimed property is listed as less than $100 from a former employer.  I did work for this employer, so at least that was correct.  Does anyone know if this is a legitimate situation?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Probably. I know that there are legit sites who list unclaimed property. Was it a government site? Here the state operates that site.

 

 

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[Rachel]

You may have unclaimed property but go through the appropriate office in your state.

[Guinevere]

Thank you.  It is a government site, so we'll see!  

[EmseB]

Yes. Each state has their own site and hoops to jump through to get the money. But it is legit as long as you're going through the state themselves.

[Element]

Definitely. I've gotten unclaimed property twice. Once for $13, and another time a few years later for $55. I had to send a copy of my license along with something showing I lived at the address they had on file for me. Just search for "(Your state) Unclaimed property" and make sure the website ends in .gov.

 

[Starr]

Friends saw that we had some. Follow the directions and a check arrives. There are sites that advertise doing this for you.you don’t need them It is free on the government site.

[Paige]

Yes it's legit. We looked ourselves up a few years ago and got several hundred dollars that had been left in escrow after the sale of a house. I was happy to get the money but shocked that the escrow hadn't been returned automatically- they knew how to find us. 

[lavender's green]

Yep, it's a thing.

 

I used to work in my mom's office doing odd jobs over school breaks, and one time my job was to figure out all the unclaimed property, organize it, calculate the interest it had accrued by sitting in our bank account rather than the state's account (it was illegal for us to keep the interest), and turn it all over to the state. In our case, it was usually a last paycheck that the person had never cashed. They're still entitled to the money even if they lose or forget about a check.

[Reefgazer]

As long as it is through your state or federal government, yes it is.  Contact the office of your state treasurer for the website, so that you don't get sidetracked into a scam website.  My mom received several hundred dollars in unclaimed money from NYS after my dad died (the unclaimed funds were in his name and it was from a small insurance policy my dad never collected on).  So even widows can collect on their late husband's unclaimed funds.  You will need to supply legitimate ID (passport, license) and possible a notarized claim form, but if it's through your state, you'll get your money. 

A few months ago, a friend told me about a website that tells you if you have unclaimed property in various states.  I looked myself up, and I did, but I didn't continue trying to claim it because it wanted my ssn, and other personal information.    My unclaimed property is listed as less than $100 from a former employer.  I did work for this employer, so at least that was correct.  Does anyone know if this is a legitimate situation?