ULPT: Unclaimed Property
Posted by Ok-Bed-1446@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 30 comments
I was looking into unclaimed property in Texas, and there’s a guy with my last name with almost 4k in unclaimed funds. These were reported back between 1987-1995 so they’ve been sitting with no owner for a while. I attempted to contact the gentleman via FB to let him know, and haven’t heard any response for several days, hasn’t even been seen. Would it be possible to claim this money? It feels wasteful to just let it sit there and I don’t think he has any immediately apparent next of kin to claim it.
Brattney985@reddit
You have to match the name and ss number to claim it. Then they email you asking for proof you lived at that address and for a picture of your state ID.
iamofnohelp@reddit
Even if it's your own sometimes claiming it is damn near impossible. So merely sharing the same name isn't going to be enough.
goclimbarock007@reddit
Found: $100 bill! To claim, please provide the serial number.
-Basically my experience with Texas unclaimed property website.
Fresh_Ad3599@reddit
It really is. There's no one else with my name in my state, and I have over a grand just sitting there because I don't have the ancient documents they want.
iamofnohelp@reddit
The wife doesn't have access to her old work email. We'll never see that $6.31.
Ok-Bed-1446@reddit (OP)
I’m sorry if my post is vague or makes you guys think I’m trying to be sneaky, I was just trying to see if there was any angle where I can get these funds legally, I’m not very well versed with this kind of stuff and figured this was the right place to figure out if there was a way! Thank you for all your replies so far!
Skeggy-@reddit
No there is no way you can get the funds legally. Not without a will/trust or another way to show you’re entitled to his money. Otherwise it goes to the state.
At least that’s how my state operates.
DirtNapDiva@reddit
Correct. Don't even try this, OP. At best you would not get far with all of the verification requirements the state has with unclaimed property. At worst, you will have attempted to commit fraud and face jail time. States don't collect unclaimed property as a generous service to the public. They do it to collect and hold the money, which they don't give up easily. You won't be successful with this, so it's just a matter of the degree of consequences you will face.
Hot-Win2571@reddit
So he should not move to the same address in Texas?
Soggy-Beach1403@reddit
Run for office as a Republican and win, then you can claim it without fear of being held accountable for the crimes you will be committing.
Sea_Bear7754@reddit
Damn orange man lives in your head rent free ay?
Soggy-Beach1403@reddit
Nah, he only lives in his daughter's vagina rent free.
chimo-ai@reddit
You can definitely go to jail for this sort of thing.
24kdgolden@reddit
Most claim forms ask for more documentation that you are indeed the correct person. It may be dob or social. There may also help an affidavit so be careful if you try it.
PossibleJazzlike2804@reddit
Someone with my name that's lived in 2 of the same towns has a few 100k unclaimed. Not worth the risk.
Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit
you have to prove that you're that person and that money belongs to you. Like send in a copy of DL and documents showing that those funds were originally yours.
You can't just go, "oh, my name is xx so those funds must be mine".
zxcput@reddit
It takes a LOT of documentation to claim it. I claimed 3995 dollars and I had to send copies of my birth certificate, marriage license, social security number, and several other things I forgot. It was back child support that I had no idea was owed to me.
Texie1976@reddit
It blows my mind how much money some people have in unclaimed. Some have multiple funds sitting there from different companies. Some, it's the same company but funds are there for multiple years or whatever. Thousands and thousands of dollars. How do people not know they're missing all of this money?
emzirek@reddit
I once stuffed $75 in the c back of my glovebox ..
Jump forward in time several months later and I'm digging in there for loose change to buy ciggies down on my luck ..
Lo-and-behold, there's $75 in there .. I got dinner, too!!
Skeggy-@reddit
Because they don’t know it exists. I’ve claimed money, it was reimbursements from insurance I wasn’t notified of and went to an old address.
Calabriafundings@reddit
There is a substantial number of unclaimed shares listed under a man whose name matches mine exactly.
I must admit I have considered claiming it. However I understand it's fraud.
I would love free money. Not enough to risk jail.
psychorev@reddit
If you want bubba to stretch your asshole in prison, go for it.
b0ingy@reddit
ok, what’s the down side
i_amnotunique@reddit
Okay so it's fraud but your problem too is you can't use plausible deniability, at all, since you reached out to the actual recipient and left yourself an easily traceable trail.
Scary-Evening7894@reddit
Send in a copy of your driver's license and claim it.
Graychin877@reddit
I recently found a small amount of unclaimed property online, held jointly with my ex wife. I filed a claim for it. I heard back that the state's "database" had found another person with my (unusual) name and a different SSN associated with her address, the same address where we lived decades ago. So they denied my claim. Fortunately, I still had a copy of a joint tax return that she and I had filed while we were married. That seemed to satisfy the State, and they sent me a check for my half of the property soon after. (It was really her property all along that she had put in our joint names, but whatever.)
So a fraudster might successfully claim someone else’s property. States are stupid. But you would be stupid to try that.
BruceTramp85@reddit
You have to prove that you lived at the address on file at the time.
cnycompguy@reddit
The rule of thumb is: only break one law at a time.
That rules out this idea right off the rip
Skeggy-@reddit
Stealing from unclaimed property could be pretty silly.
Unclaimed property is government property which means you’re fucking with both federal and state laws. It being 4k is already a felony. You would be identity fraud.
_n3ll_@reddit
That would be, uhh, fraud