A.E. Finley

We advise that, by law, these types of companies may charge you no more than a 10 percent commission, based upon the value of the property. Their contract with you must make full disclosure about your property, what type of property it is, where it is, and what its value is. There are some companies that fail to do this. They send post cards, emails, or make telephone calls, leading you to believe they will conduct and individual search on your behalf for fees. In the case of this kind of locator, you may receive, if anything, only a list of agencies that might be able to provide information to help you locate unclaimed funds, if they exist. Or if they do trace an account, they may ask for as much as 50 percent of the value of the recovered funds.

Consumers that wish to find out if they have money coming and claim it can access the State Controller's Internet web site at www.sco.ca.gov and search their electronic inquiry bulletin board. If you match your name, you can then print a claim form and mail it with the appropriate documentation to the listed address. The State Controller's office can also be reached at 1(800) 992-4647. To obtain a list of addresses to contact to inquire about unclaimed property in other states, write to: National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) c/o George De Leon P.O. Box 942850 Sacramento, California, 94250-5873 and enclose a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope.

We believe this company's advertising is deceptive and misleading. They send out the same letter to people throughout the country indicating that they have inherited thousands of dollars and asking that they send funds ranging from $69-99.00 to the company. This solicitation is an attempt to collect fees to check to see if there is any unclaimed property being held by the appropriate state agency.