Unclaimed property scam hits the Hoosier state

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.-A possible new scam is on the rise. Hoosiers are receiving illegitimate offers that claim you may have unclaimed property held by the state.

According to our reporting partners at The Elkhart Truth, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill recommends everyone take the necessary steps to verify the legitimacy of these offers.

Hill has been working to educate more Hoosiers about the website, IndianaUnclaimed.gov, encouraging them to search for unclaimed property.

Scammers have been sending authentic letters or emails and make professional-sounding phone calls. They claim there are hundreds of dollars in unclaimed property under your name.

Some letters even ask for personal information and a credit card number as payment for finding the property that actually doesn’t exist.

Hill’s office warns that never under any circumstances will you be asked to pay for unclaimed property.

You can find instructions on how to file a claim on IndianaUnclaimed.gov (click HERE) or by calling 866-IN-CLAIM. You can also report a scam by calling or logging onto the website.

In 2016 alone, Indiana returned around $66 million. As of June of this year, the state has some $466 million in unclaimed property. So far, officials have returned more than 51 thousand claims, amounting to more than $28 million.