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
cleaning help near Mundelein ..My First Million took me exactly 27 months to achieve.... Read More
So you want to become wealthy? While there is no... Read More
Hello,If you dont understand this yet, or have not heard... Read More
It is with great pleasure of having you here at... Read More
You know about compounding right? You understand what pyramiding your... Read More
Have you seen a picture of the Parthenon in Athens,... Read More
The cashflow board games, Cashflow 101, Cashflow 202, and Cashflow... Read More
You may think you have to be an entrepreneur to... Read More
An ellipsis to your success is hidden in the word... Read More
This is a true story from my own experience that... Read More
Do you ever get this in your email box: Find... Read More
If you don't have discipline then walk away from the... Read More
Okay. So money doesn't really grow on trees. Unless you... Read More
As many people have observed, "Success leaves clues." If you... Read More
Are you setting the right money goals?Most people believe having... Read More
Financial independence is having the freedom to support yourself through... Read More
How many people search Google, Yahoo and MSN each day... Read More
Compounding: The Ninth Wonder of the WorldBy Nicola Cairncross Compounding... Read More
Living on credit is fashionable. Indulging oneself is fashionable. Saving... Read More
Have you any idea how many people search Google every... Read More
Everyone wants to be wealthy, but most of us do... Read More
There are few things in life that are more stressful... Read More
Like I said, If you are poor and on social... Read More
The business of banking has changed dramatically over the last... Read More
No one has complete control over their thoughts. But with... Read More
reliable maid service Wilmette ..Money is probably the most challenging thing for many people... Read More
"The quickest way to wealthThat I've found to be true;Is... Read More
You've been thinking that your financial life could probably be... Read More
I want to share an experience I had in common... Read More
Whenever we read about building wealth or even attend a... Read More
It's the beginning of a brand new year: a time... Read More
Look at Forbes' top 10 United States wealthiest people. Notice... Read More
Are you setting the right money goals?Most people believe having... Read More
Everyone wants to be wealthy, but most of us do... Read More
"Ooooooh," you may say, "I could NEVER be good at... Read More
Let's begin this lesson with a definition of the term... Read More
What is "The Commodity of Kings""Power is simply "the ability... Read More
If you're wondering where to create passive income, then you... Read More
Let's begin easing you out of the pits. I mean,... Read More
There is no questioning that the amount of unclaimed money... Read More
"Join our program and retire in 3 months..." yeah, right.We... Read More
There are only 2 ways to grow your wealth -... Read More
Want to be one of the lucky ones on the... Read More
Why not run a lucrative paper business? Paper businesses do... Read More
There is no need to use the many middleman websites... Read More
Everyone wants to be wealthy. Only a few actually achieve... Read More
Parents must give serious thought to protecting their family through... Read More
How many people search Google, Yahoo and MSN each day... Read More
1. Save up to 50% per month on convenience cleaner... Read More
U.S. Supreme Justice Louis D. Brandeis"I live in Alexandria Virginia.... Read More
Wealth Building |