Warning About Unclaimed Property, Cash Scam
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – If you get a call or email from an official sounding agency which claims that they have money or property owed to you and can return it to you for a fee, hang up, it's a scam.
State Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater on Tuesday said scammers have been offering to reunite consumers with unclaimed property for an upfront fee of $600.
Atwater's Department of Financial Services is responsible for returning unclaimed cash, securities and other property left in safe deposit boxes and dormant accounts at Florida banks. It does not charge a fee. He said the Florida Department of Financial Restitution has been falsely claiming it has a contract with his department. He added that there is no state Department of Financial Restitution.
Citizens have reported being asked by the company to pay the $600 although they had no unclaimed property held by the state.
The department last year returned a record $209 million in unclaimed property.
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