I really would advise everyone to go to Missingmoney.com and check to see if your state is holding on to any of your cash.
No, it’s not a scam.
Whenever some agency/business/company/whatever tries to send you a check, and they can’t find you, oftentimes the money gets turned over to the state you live in (in my case, the Minnesota Department of Commerce), where that money will just…sit.
They don’t try to find you. They just let it sit there–presumably gaining interest on the state’s behalf. You have to check it for yourself.
And, if you’re one of the lucky ones, all it will generally take is some basic proof of who you are, that the money is rightfully yours, and a notarized statement. You mail it in (or go straight to their offices, as I did) and 60 - 90 days later you get your money back.
You can check for yourself and for as many friends, neighbors and relatives as you want. In a few hours I found amounts owed to a couple of relatives, a number of friends, and a few co-workers. It was actually kind of fun.
It will generally tell you if the amount is over or under $100.00. All the ones I found except for two (my uncle and cousin) were for over $100.
Neat.
I got a little creative and began checking famous people. The only one I think might be legit is that the State of Oklahoma owes Carrie Underwood some money.
So, give it a shot. You might get lucky. And, as I said before, it’s not a scam–no fees, nothing.
ETA: The website is a little wonky in the sense that you have to do all of your searches from the first page–NOT the search box that comes up on the second page as a result of your search. Just go back to the first page, put in another name and state, and have at it again.
And if you happen to score–report it here.
