Questions, Answered Straight
The questions skeptics ask. Good — keep asking them.
Healthy suspicion is the right response to any message about money you didn't know you had. These are the questions we'd ask in your position, answered the way we'd want them answered.
Is this a scam?
The concern is legitimate — unclaimed-property fraud exists, and it usually works by demanding upfront payment or sensitive information against a fake deadline. Here's how to check us, independently, in about two minutes:
1. Take the Property ID from our message to claimit.ca.gov — the State of California's official unclaimed-property site. The record will be there, under your business's name, on a system we don't control.
2. Look up our firm on the California Secretary of State's public registry at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov.
3. Notice what we're not doing: no upfront fee, no request for bank credentials or SSNs, no deadline pressure (State-held property has no claiming deadline at all).
If any message claiming to be from us does those things, it isn't from us — and we'd like to know about it: [email protected].
What does it cost?
Nothing upfront, nothing out of pocket, ever. We work on contingency: if your funds are recovered, our fee is a percentage of the amount recovered, stated plainly in our written agreement before you sign. California law caps that fee at 10% of the value returned to you (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1582), and it is illegal for any investigator to charge more. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.
Can I just claim the money myself, without you?
Yes — and we'll say it plainly: any owner can file a claim directly with the State Controller's Office, free of charge, at claimit.ca.gov. The State charges nothing to process claims.
What we offer is different: we found money you didn't know existed, and we handle the documentation, the forms, the ownership evidence, and the follow-through with the State so your team doesn't spend its time on it. Many businesses prefer to hand that off at a legally capped fee. Some prefer to do it themselves. Both are fine with us — the money belongs to you either way.
How did you find us, and how do you have this information?
Public records — nothing else. The State Controller's Office publishes records of unclaimed property so that owners can be found, and California's Secretary of State publishes business registration records. We match one against the other, carefully, with human review before any outreach. We do not buy private data about you, and we will never ask for sensitive personal information in an unsolicited message.
Where does the money go when the claim is paid?
Directly to your business, from the State. Payment is issued by the State Controller's Office as a State warrant (check). Your funds never pass through our accounts — the State's own process pays the owner directly, which is exactly how we want it. You should be suspicious of any recovery service that wants your money routed through them.
How long does recovery take?
The State Controller's Office generally processes investigator-filed claims within about 180 days of a complete filing; claims involving securities can take longer. We prepare complete, accurate claim packages precisely because incomplete filings are the most common cause of delay. We'll keep you informed at each stage, and there's no deadline pressure on your end — State-held property remains claimable indefinitely.
Is there a deadline to claim?
No. Once property is transferred to the State Controller's Office, there is no time limit for the owner to claim it. Anyone who tells you that you must act by a certain date to avoid losing State-held property is misleading you. (Businesses do send notices before property is transferred to the State — those have response windows — but property already with the State waits for you.)
What do you need from us to file a claim?
Once you've verified the property and signed our agreement, we'll need the documents the State requires to prove your business's ownership — typically evidence connecting your business to the name and address on the property record, and signature authority from someone empowered to act for the business. We prepare the package; you review and sign. We'll never ask for bank logins or passwords — the State pays by mailed warrant, not by accessing your accounts.
How do agreements get signed?
Electronically, from your inbox. If you decide to proceed after verifying your property, we prepare the written agreement California requires — stating exactly what property is being recovered and exactly what our fee is — and email it to you for electronic signature through Dropbox Sign. Review and sign on any device; you keep a copy, and nothing is ever due upfront.