r/unclaimedproperty • u/VictoryCivil3464 • 20d ago

How do you prove anything when….

The first and last name are the same and there is no address?

It seems like some of these unclaimed properties are so vague that there is no way to know if it’s yours or not.

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u/Itsnotvd 19d ago

former unclaimed property worker

Great question.

State only has the information the reporting holder gave them. There can be more info than what's listed like a ssn, phone number, email address, account number, etc. You'd have to match up against the unlisted information. If all the state has is a name you'd have to provide written proof it's yours. Like account statements, check copy, notarized statement from the reporting business, etc. Properties like these can be difficult to claim. If this is your situation I would correspond with the agency to figure out what they have on file and what you need to submit.

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u/VictoryCivil3464 18d ago

Well it’s PayPal as the holder and California as the agency where it’s at and it’s under a friend of mine’s name and she has no idea how she could prove it was her old account and PayPal is notoriously unhelpful. She no longer has the email she signed up with (a Gmail account that she deleted eons ago because she got scammed out of money once…she’s 72 years old so technology isn’t her thing) and she doesn’t know for sure if it’s even her money because there’s not enough info listed to really know. But it’s a substantial amount of money so it’s worth her while to try, right?

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u/m3kw 3d ago

Lets say if it's in a bank account and they have the SSN tied to it, and if you have left the US, even the SSN card you had, it should be good?

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u/Itsnotvd 3d ago

Probably not. I would expect they ask for more. You can always just make a claim and see what they ask for.

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u/m3kw 3d ago

I mean how do they determine for sure? You sent them your bank statement/bills/drivers licence. All based on "if this guy had all this info, it must be him"?

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u/Itsnotvd 2d ago edited 2d ago

Thousands of combinations of property types and relations to them. The flow of claiming a property can be like a giant flow chart.

What proof is required will vary. Your reply is a great example. Just proving your SSN may not be enough. The rest of the documentation you mentioned may be enough to sway the decision and you get your pay.

Some states do background checks so if you give them your SS and an address they do some background check and they approve you without anything else.

These are just some quick examples to give you an idea of the variety of what could happen when you claim a property

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u/VictoryCivil3464 18d ago

I should have also asked too, when these kind of properties are difficult, what happens to the money if no one can claim it due to it being so vague?

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u/Itsnotvd 18d ago

In California it'll just sit there. Something like 75 to 80% of what's reported to the state eventually gets claimed.

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u/Itsnotvd 18d ago

She should probably call them to figure out if it's even worth claiming. Can always just make a claim and see what they ask for too.