Is a free unclaimed property search safe?
Yes, if it asks only for your name, the states you have lived in, and an email, and sends you to the state's own site to claim, which is always free. Scanley's scan is free, never files for you, never takes a cut, and never asks for a Social Security number, birth date, or bank account. Anyone who asks for those, or for a fee, is someone to walk away from.
What the scan does
Every state keeps money its owners lost track of: old bank balances, uncashed paychecks, utility deposits, insurance refunds. After a few years the company holding it has to hand it to the state, and the state holds it until the owner asks. The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators puts the total at about $70 billion, with roughly one in seven Americans owed some.
The Unclaimed Property Scan takes your first, middle, and last name, up to ten states you have lived in, and an email. Our agents search each state's records for your name, read what comes back, and email you a short list: who held the money, the amount or the range the state shows, the state's property ID, and a link to that state's own claim page.
Some states publish their whole list as a download, so the search runs on our side in seconds. Some put their search behind a human check. We do not get around those checks; a person on our team runs that search by hand instead. Either way, you get one email, not a sales sequence.
Why it is free
Scanley is a team of AI agents for marketing: they search public sources, read what they find, and report it with the source attached, so a person can check every line. Our paid work does that for a business's visibility in AI search. The unclaimed property scan is the same kind of work pointed at something everyone understands: is there money with my name on it?
It started when one of our agents found a $45.49 California claim in the name of Jody Flournoy, who builds Scanley. People asked for the same search, so we built it. The counter on the scan page shows what it has found so far. It counts each property once, at the low end of the range a state shows, and counts nothing a person told us is not theirs, so it can only understate.
We do not charge for the search, take a share of what you recover, or sell your details. If you own a business, the form has an optional field for your website, and we may follow up about our paid scan. That is the whole catch.
The scams to watch for
Unclaimed money attracts scammers because the story is true: states really do hold money for people. The Federal Trade Commission warns about offers like these. The patterns are easy to spot once you know them.
A fee before you get paid. No state charges to claim. Anyone asking for a processing fee, a release fee, or a gift card payment up front is running a scam.
Your Social Security number, birth date, or bank details by email, text, or phone. A state may ask for your Social Security number on its own claim form to prove the money is yours. That belongs on the state's site, typed in by you, and nowhere else.
A deadline. States hold unclaimed property until the owner asks, usually indefinitely. A message saying your money expires this week is pressure, not information.
A lookalike site. Reach your state's program by typing its address or starting from the list at unclaimed.org, which the state administrators run. Do not trust a claim link only because a message contained it, including one from us: check that it lands on the state's own program site.
A percentage of your money. Some finders are legitimate and licensed, and some states cap what they can charge (California at 10 percent) or allow only licensed representatives to do it (Florida). But for most people the claim is a short form you can file yourself for nothing, so a contract for a share of it is usually a bad trade.
Why we do not want your personal data
To search, a name and a list of states is enough. To claim, the state needs to confirm you are you, and that takes your Social Security number, an ID, and sometimes proof of an old address. We could ask for all of that and file for you. We chose not to.
Holding Social Security numbers and bank details for thousands of strangers would make us a target and give you nothing you could not do in a few minutes yourself. The safest copy of that information is the one you hand directly to your state and to no one in between. So we keep the smallest possible record: your name, the states, your email, and what we found. Reply delete to any email from us and we remove your search.
Making the last step easy
Because you file the claim, our job is to make filing quick. Each match in your email gives you the holder's name, the amount or range, the state's property ID, and a direct link to that property's claim page where the state offers one. With the property ID in hand, many small claims are a single online form.
Have these ready before you start: a photo ID, your Social Security number for the state's form, and, if the money came from an old address, something showing you lived there, like an old bill or lease. Claims for larger amounts can need a notarized form; the state's page says when. If a match is not yours, tell us, and it comes out of the counter.
Questions people ask
Does Scanley file the claim or take a cut?
No. We search and send you what we found. You file with your state, and the state pays you directly. We never take a share of what you recover.
Will Scanley ever ask for my Social Security number?
No. Not on the form, not by email, not by phone. If a message claiming to be from us asks for it, it is not from us. The only place it belongs is your state's own claim form.
Why do you need the states I have lived in?
Money goes to the state of the owner's last known address, so it can sit in a state you left years ago. Naming the states keeps the search focused on where your money could actually be.
Is MissingMoney.com legitimate?
Yes. It is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators and searches most states at once. Hawaii does not take part, so search it on its own site. Our scan searches the states you pick and emails you the result.
What happens to my information after the search?
We keep your name, states, email, and what we found, so we can count results honestly and, if you opted in, check again later. Reply delete to any of our emails and we remove your search.