How I got $100 in Free Money through an Online Search

I got $100 free money today! To say the least, I am amazed!

Like many of those who read HubPages, I'm always on the lookout for ways to get some extra cash. A few weeks ago I was wandering around in cyberspace and came across one of the ads for unclaimed property. I've passed up these ads before because there are so many promises of quick cash that come to nothing, but this time I decided to do a little more research.

Although there are companies you can pay to do searches for your unclaimed property, there are many free sites that you can easily search on your own. There are sites to look for VA benefits, lost U.S. Savings Bonds and even international unclaimed money.

A good place to start your search is on the NAUPA (National Association of Unclaimed Property) site. NAUPA is a free government website which is affiliated with the National Association of State Treasurers. This data base can link to any state that has an online searchable database for unclaimed funds.

To start out, enter your last name and current state of residence into the search field. If nothing comes up, try again using only your last name. Don't forget to try any other names you may have used like a maiden name or married name that you no longer use.

If you've lived in different states as I have, check out each state individually. This is very easy to do on The Missing Money website. Start by entering your last name and current state of residence in the Missing Money search field. If this initial search doesn't turn up anything, the site will suggest going to the individual state data base for which a link is provided. From there try other states where you've lived, using your name and your spouse's name. I found that I got more information by using just my last name, then I could scroll through the hits to see if any of the addresses matched.

The millions of dollars of unclaimed money is just sittimg there.

It comes from many different sources: uncashed rebate or other checks; unclaimed security deposits; extra interest; uncashed dividend or payroll checks; refunds; traveler's checks; insurance payments; customer over payments of utility bills; unclaimed inheritances and more. In some states you can even get refunds for unused gift certificates.

I found my name and I had unclaimed money!

In a few minutes I was delighted and pretty surprised to see my name pop up in South Dakota's unclaimed funds data base. At first I couldn't imagine why I would have unclaimed funds, but eventually remembered that a rebate check for a cell phone I had purchased years ago never arrived. The website didn't tell me exactly how much money was there or where it originated, but did give me a link to download and print a claim form. O.K., that sounded pretty easy. The one page form asked for some basic information as well as proof that I had resided at the address in their data base and proof of ID. In a few minutes I had filled it out, made copies of pertinent information and sent it off to the State Treasurer of South Dakota. What did I have to lose except the cost of a stamp?

My money was fairly easy to claim because I had proof of my residency in South Dakota and proof of my ID. I would have had a harder time claiming money from my state of residence 30 years ago, as I do not have any proof of my address at that time. But even so, I think it could be done.

And I Got a Check for $100

Taa Daaa!

Four weeks later, I received a check for $100 from the South Dakota State Treasurer! The mystery of where it came from was not ever solved as they didn't tell me in their letter, but, hey, I'll take it anyway!

Good luck with your search for FREE MONEY! Start wth NAUPA site at the right, then check out the links below, too. They're all free and easy.

The Internal Revenue Service
The IRS may have an undeliverable refund check that belongs to you.U.S. Federal Tax refund checks.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.
If your pension plan no longer exists, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. has searchable database which will help you determine whether you are owed any pension benefits.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
A resource website to search for any unclaimed insured deposits for financial institutions that were closed by a regulatory agency between Jan. 1, 1989 and June 28, 1993.

U.S. Savings Bonds
Go to Missing U.S. Federal Savings Bonds to see if you can reclaim missing U.S. Savings Bonds. You can also down load forms to cash Bonds in the name of someone who is deceased at Treasurydirect.com.

Veterans Administration Benefits
Search for unclaimed veterans benefits owed to you by the federal government.