Is this Stalking ?
 

I was checking out some of the Florida listings today (links below) and noticed a person with 12 listings of state-held "unclaimed" money. It appears to probably be a parent and the children as trustees. The people are in the phone book at the same Villages address the state has listed. I cross checked with a nationwide government site and found a total of 26 listings for them. These appear to be dormant bank accounts, stock dividends, mutual funds, etc. It looks like quite a LOT of money

Anyhow... I would like to drop these people a note with the info that Florida (and Pennsylvania) has their money along with a printout of the pages where they're listed. They can simply click up the site, fill out the form and follow instructions, and get their money. Besides the folks with the 26 listings I've compiled a list of other multi-listing Villagers.

My wife is not in favor of contacting them. She figures they'll think it's a scam or I'm a stalker, and might create a problem. I have no interest in meeting or seeing these people. I don't want (and wouldn't take) any "finders fee" or reward. It annoys me that Florida is holding over $1,000,000,000 in "unclaimed" funds (pet peeve?). These funds are unclaimed only because people don't know they're out there. The state doesn't seem overly zealous in finding the rightful owners.

So... do I send them a letter or not?

The State of Florida is holding money belonging to each of the three Bee Gees, Marco Rubio, Miami Beach City Hall, and thousands of other individuals and businesses. What about you? Check out links below! If you recover some money please acknowledge it so folks can see it's possible.

It's a righteous cause. The letter(s) would have to be carefully worded. It should probably begin with something like, "I am a fellow resident of The Villages and research is a hobby of mine." A preemptive visit to Seniors vs Crime and/or the Sheriff's office might help. I'd try one letter and see what happens.

Since you asked........
 

I have to agree with your wife.

Privacy issues could be a concern, even though the information is public and your motivation is pure.

Of course, it could turn out just fine if you contact them, but you could end up with a lot more aggravation than just knowing the state is holding their money.

I would not want to take the chance of opening a can of worms.

Weighing-the-Odds Laurie

I think a brief note with copies of the pages would be fine.

When I've felt the need t contact a villager I didn't know, I started with The Villages and asked that they contact the homeowner for me, explaining why I wanted to contact them. TV was more than happy to help and I do believe this way is a lot less threatening. I would not go the route of a letter, that, to me, would scream a scam. The other route I would consider is simply going to their home and talking to them. Wouldn't work in other communities but works well here.

I guess I am naive.

Based on your description of the circumstances I would have contacted them without giving a real thought to it beyond trying to do a good deed. My communication would include a brief explanation of how I came across the info and, as suggested above, that I was a fellow TV resident.

Being thought of as a stalker seems like a stretch to me.

Thanks for the heads up. If I recover any money Walt., you will be the first to know! :thumbup:

Don

Note as scam
 

After reading your suggestion I would agree with you. My idea of sending a note in the mail could appear more as a scam. Personally I would be leery of someone that knocked on my door unannounced to discuss something like this.

Properly worded, dropping them a line to make them aware of your findings is the right thing to do. You are not breaking any law and they should not feel anything but appreciative. What they do with the info once they have it is their business. I am very surprised at those that think this would create some type of issue.

You could tell them that researching things are a hobby and tell them what you found and give them the site info.
I would not copy pages. That might seem to personal.

I have $125 of cash due to me from the missing money site. I have found friends and relatives on the site and have let them know to check it and claim their money. I also am like you, I like to help people. Sometimes people just don't understand that and look at me like I'm crazy. If I see something for sale that I know a friend is looking for I will e-mail it to them. I don't usually get a thank you for it. It is a thankless job. If it were villagers I would probably try and contact them. If they don't seem receptive right off the bat or seem skeptical of you I would leave it alone.

Interesting what you have to say. Yes I feel a scam coming on and I think you are the one who is scamming. I hope others don't fall for another scam.

If this was Walt's first post, I'd agree with you, but he has posted many times about states holding money but rarely with specific information like this. I can't help but believe Walt is very sincere in trying to help others. I'm sorry that your world is such that you can't believe someone would try to help others with no ulterior motive other than to feel good.

Yes, I would have thought the exact same thing if it was someone who has only posted once or twice, but I would tend to believe if it was someone like Walt with over 300 posts.

I would just bump this Thread on Talk of the Villages a while and maybe you will get the word out about these funds. If you want to respect the privacy of these people and have their address then send them a letter with no return address telling them about this site you found. Only with the site linked though. Let them figure it out.

Good deeds do often go punished so I would tread carefully.

I did share your link on the Villages Group of Facebook but just called you a Good Samaritan. Also put it on my own Facebook with a link to other states.

And what exactly do you base this on? Did you check any of the sites listed below?