Missing Money Searches for Unclaimed Funds

Chris Remington
Published Jan 16, 2024

If the government owes you funds that you have not yet collected, then it is considered unclaimed. This can also apply to pensions, credit unions, banks and many other sources. The good news is that there are many things that you can do in order to find unclaimed money. It is estimated that there is $42 million in unclaimed funds floating around in the United States.

Where do you Find Unclaimed Money?

The government does have one website to help you find missing funds. However, there are a number of other sources that you can use in order to find unclaimed funds.

Specific Resources That can Help you Find Missing Money

If the state owes you money, then you can search your state listings. You can also find missing property in the state listings. If you have unclaimed back wages, then you can search the Wage and Hour Division's database of workers. The Wage and Hour Division is a part of the United States Department of Labor.

If you have unclaimed tax refunds, then it is best to get in touch with the Internal Revenue Service directly. The IRS may have not been able to deliver your tax refund. Keep in mind that if you are owed a tax refund, but you do not file your taxes, then you will not receive a refund.

Keep in mind that you have three years after the filing deadline to get your tax refund. You can contact the state revenue department if you are owed a state refund check. You can also get an Earned Income Tax Credit.

If you need to get a pension from a former employee, then you will need to search for a list of companies that went out of business. You can find this information on the Pension Guaranty Benefit Corporation. You can also find unclaimed funds for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation website.

If you do not know where to specifically look for unclaimed funds, then there are several resources that can help you. Unclaimed.org and Missingmoney.com are two of the websites that you can use in order to find missing funds. You can also check the treasury website. Keep in mind that if you have gotten married, then you may need to use your maiden last name when searching public records.

How to Avoid Scams

It is important for you to avoid scams when you are looking for unclaimed money. Government imposters use a variety of tactics in order to get your attention. There are several ways that these scammers can get your attention. They may tell you that you have won a fake sweepstakes. They may also tell you that you need to send money in order to get your money.

You can prevent yourself from being scammed by doing the following:

1.) Don't wire any money.

Scammers often tell people that they should wire money. However, you should not do this. Once this money is sent, you will never see it again.

2.) Don't pay to get money.

Scammers will often tell you that you have to send money in order to get money. If you are owed money, then you will not have to pay in order to get it.

3.) Do not give out Your Financial or Personal Information

If a scam artist calls you and asks for your personal or financial information, then you should not give out that information. They can use the information that you give in order to steal your identity. They can write fraudulent checks, take out loans and open up banking accounts with your personal information.

4.) Do not Trust a Number or Name

Scammers may call you and say that they are from a legitimate organization. It is illegal for people to lie about their organization they are affiliated with, but they do it anyway. A legitimate organization will never call you and claim that they are going to send you money.

5.) Use the Do not Call Registry

This may not necessarily stop the scammers from calling. You should be skeptical of any calls that you get out of the blue because they are likely scams.

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