It can be real or fake, so do not use the phone number or link on it. Open unclaimed.org or your state's own unclaimed property site yourself and search your name. Real searches are free; anyone asking for a fee, a gift card or a wire is not the state.
Open the official searchUnclaimed.org. Free. We take no cut and ask for nothing.
Real offices send letters on official letterhead and give a number you can look up yourself. They do not demand payment by gift cards or wire, and they do not ask you to pay to release your own money.
A message that mentions money you do not recognise is a reason to check the official site, not a reason to reply.
Our 12-minute money check lists nine official searches in a fixed order, with the minutes each one takes: your state (2), savings bonds (1), a lost pension (1), a failed bank (1), a closed credit union (1), an undelivered tax refund (2), an FHA refund (1), veterans' life insurance (1) and federal court funds (2). Nine steps, twelve minutes, and none of them costs a cent. We built a free letter checker for this: paste the message and see the red flags. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored. It cannot prove a letter is genuine, so the last step is always the official site you open yourself.
Facts on this page match our official-source guides, last checked 2 October 2026. Rules and screens change, so follow the agency's own instructions.
It might be genuine or a scam. Verify it by searching the official state site yourself, not through the notice.
A state program or a company may write when it holds money in your name. A scammer may write the same letter. Check the official site yourself before you do anything.
No, in many places finders are legal and regulated, but you can do the same search for free.
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.
Once you have done the free searches, The Unclaimed Money Handbook puts every state's office and the paperwork in one PDF. The searches on this site stay free either way.
Open refunds and settlements, with the official link next to each. Free, no finder fee, one click to leave.
Was this worth your time? Tell Google you want The Claim Desk in your answers. One click, and the next time you ask where your money is, we come with it.