Recovering Lost Money

It's not unusual for individuals to lose track of money sitting in accounts they're unaware of. If you relocate without checking your accounts, it’s quite possible to never retrieve those funds.

In such instances, the financial institution that holds the dormant money is obligated to make reasonable attempts to identify and reach the rightful owner. However, I have my doubts about the extent of their efforts since there’s little incentive for them to do so. If they fail to locate the owner after a designated timeframe, which is typically five years, the funds must be relinquished to the state government based on the owner’s last known address. This process is known as escheatment Every single state maintains a website to help individuals locate such unclaimed money or assets.

With this information in mind, I recently reconnected with Peter, who is associated with the casino board game Match 52. He took the initiative to establish a free website, serving as a resource for those seeking lost funds at escheatment.com . This website is completely free of charge and does not request any personal data from users. Its primary function is to direct individuals to the Secretary of State's offices for all 50 states, allowing them to carry out such investigations.

In my own experience, my friend Angela—a person you might have heard of—searched my name and found four entries related to me, two of which exceeded $1,000. I was incredibly grateful to her, but she mentioned that the search only took her a minute and pointed me toward the Nevada Secretary of State’s website. my videos She was indeed correct. I discovered that I had funds with the state of Nevada from four distinct sources. Retrieving the money was a straightforward process. I had to provide my name, email address, date of birth, Social Security number, and state whether I was an individual or a business. Given that this was a government portal, I felt secure sharing my Social Security number. Among my claims, two were substantial, while the other amounts were $23.60 and $139.13.

Shortly thereafter, I received two emails. One informed me that my claim for the larger sums, totaling $4,780.13, had been approved, and I could anticipate a check within three weeks. Regarding the two smaller claims, they requested color copies of my government-issued ID, Social Security card, and a recent utility bill. I haven't taken action on that yet, as I suspect that funds associated with a Social Security number are easier for them to verify ownership. The smaller claims included $23.60 from the Red Rock casino—likely due to leftover funds in an abandoned sports betting account—and $139.13 from Skrill, which resembles a PayPal-type service for online casinos.

If you're curious about how I came to forget about $4,780, it could be because I prefer to settle my bills, including property taxes, in substantial upfront payments. In Nevada, we receive four vouchers early in the year to pay annual property taxes quarterly, but I tend to pay for the entire year at once. I’ve sold properties in Las Vegas twice, and I presume this money was a refund for the partial year of property taxes I pre-paid before selling those houses.

To sum up, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Angela and Peter from Match 52. As a side note, do visit Peter’s website at

. If you scroll down to the bottom, you’ll find a link to a YouTube video showcasing me participating in a Match52 tournament, which was hosted by Angela and Heather, my LiveStream producer. Be sure to check Eschatment.com to see if you have any unclaimed funds waiting for you. Match52.com Strategies and insights grounded in mathematics for popular casino games such as blackjack, craps, roulette, and many more.

Written by: Michael Shackleford