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Massachusetts to mail claim notices to 5,000 people owed unclaimed money
A state pilot will send letters directly to residents matched with unclaimed property worth up to $2,500, instead of requiring them to search a database. Officials say the streamlined process depends on recipients recognizing the notices as legitimate.
Massachusetts plans to mail claim notices to about 5,000 residents who have unclaimed property worth up to $2,500, testing a new way to return money without asking people to find it themselves in a state database.
The “Claim Mass Money” pilot, announced by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg’s office on Oct. 26, uses identity data from LexisNexis to match people with property held by the state. Recipients will get a letter with a QR code and unique claim ID that leads to a simplified online claim process.
“There’s no need to do a search, no need to put your name in,” Goldberg said. The process will ask claimants a few questions before the state sends a check, she said.
Unclaimed property can include uncashed checks, forgotten tax refunds, stock dividends and unpaid wages. Property generally becomes unclaimed after its holder cannot contact the owner for three years.
The program is designed to make claims easier, but the state must also persuade recipients that the letters are not scams. Goldberg said the notices will carry her office’s return address and direct people to FindMassMoney.gov. “I want to make sure that people know it’s not a fraud,” she said. “It’s for real.”
Goldberg’s office said more than 61,000 claims were eligible for a fast-track process in the last fiscal year. The pilot will begin with a smaller group, and the state may expand it depending on how people respond.