Better Business Bureau Warns of Unclaimed Property Scam (via LA Times)
The Money & Company blog of the Los Angeles Times recently posted a warning concerning online scams. Along with a faux-Facebook contest with a one million dollar prize and some mortgage foreclosure chicanery, there is also one of the usual unclaimed property scams. According to the article, the fraudsters are sending emails to recipients informing them that "millions" in unclaimed property are being held for their benefit. The scammers then ask for bank account, credit card, SSN and other personal financial information.
We've said it before, but it bears repeating: legitimate unclaimed property regulators will not contact you via email. If someone contacts you claiming to have unclaimed property in your name, you needn't respond by sending an email to unrecognizable address, visiting a potentially false website, or calling an unidentified 1-800 number. You can go to the website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (www.naupa.org) and find claiming information for your appropriate state.
We've said it before, but it bears repeating: legitimate unclaimed property regulators will not contact you via email. If someone contacts you claiming to have unclaimed property in your name, you needn't respond by sending an email to unrecognizable address, visiting a potentially false website, or calling an unidentified 1-800 number. You can go to the website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (www.naupa.org) and find claiming information for your appropriate state.