Recover Unclaimed Money at MissingMoney.com
For what sounds like a scam if ever there was one, MissingMoney.com appears to be legitimate. The team over at Lifehacker have had a rush of successes listed in their comments after their first post of this service and having tried it myself, I was actually able to find an unclaimed rebate in my name!
I found a record with one of my old addresses and clicked the link they gave me. It led to Washington State's web-based unclaimed funds service.
I had to create an account with Washington state's unclaimed money department, but that was a simple process. There was a point where they ask for a SSN, but they give you the option of providing it offline (which I thought was a nice touch).
Afterward, they asked me to submit any kind of record that shows that I lived at that address (which I did) and it was a done deal. In theory, I should get my money in a while. I will update this page at that time. Of course, if you do this, make sure that you're not providing sensitive documents as proof (I think I sent a bill with account numbers blacked out or such).
Update 1 – I checked for just about everyone I know, but it seems they're not hooked into every state yet. I just forwarded my friends and family to their local state's unclaimed property page for now, but if missing money manages to complete this service, it will be very valuable to people who have moved a lot.
Update 2 – According to the state unclaimed property site, my family has almost 10 claims! A few are for over $50 too. This is fun! I wonder how soon missing money will be hooked into all the states?
Update 3 – Got my rebate. It's for just over $30. Pretty neat.
