Ohioans warned of unclaimed funds scam

COLUMBUS – David Goodman, director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, is warning Ohioans to be alert for an email scam telling people they have unclaimed international funds worth millions in cash.

The email fraudulently says it is from an unclaimed funds official and implies that an FBI agent vetted the matter. It tries to sound official and that the recipient doesn’t have to pay to obtain the funds. Those who respond to the email are directed to contact an overseas attorney.

“Pure and simple, this is a scam,” Goodman said. “We will not have Ohioans ripped off by taking advantage of our unclaimed funds program that returns Ohioans’ hard-earned money to the rightful owners.

“The sender of the email is not looking to return money — they want to trick the recipient to obtain their personal financial information,” he added.

Goodman said he is concerned that the fraudulent emails are attributed to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. The department’s Division of Unclaimed Funds is a member of the organization. “This fraudulent email simply has nothing to do with unclaimed funds,” he said.

The Division of Unclaimed Funds does not direct claims recipients to private third parties, charge fees to claim funds or request bank fund information. The division would be able to provide information on who reported the funds and be able to assist in the claims process.

The Ohio Division of Unclaimed Funds works aggressively to reunite Ohioans with their hard-earned money. In Fiscal Year 2011, the division returned more than $60.9 million to current or former Ohioans. The average paid claim was for $1,138.

Goodman urges Ohioans who receive such emails to delete them or report the incident to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

In the meantime, Ohioans can search for unclaimed funds at the Division of Unclaimed Funds’ website at www.com.ohio.gov/unfd/TreasureHunt.aspx. Those without Internet access can write to the division with the names to be checked out and the Ohio counties in which those listed have lived. The address is:

Ohio Department of Commerce

Division of Unclaimed Funds

77 South High Street, 20th Floor

Columbus, OH 43215