If it looks like a duck.

And walks like a duck ...

... and goes "Quack" ...

(and no nasty "cracks", please).

Guess what?

Now ...... *duck*!!

ole joyful

marge727, don't forget to notify the Post Office of this suspected scam. I think you're right, there are definitely people who will be taken in by something like this. Good for you for checking so carefully.

Thanks, I will send the P.O. a notice. I checked the website and apparently the company regards those postcards as "business leads".

I think I received something similar in the mail. Actually it came a couple times.

Something about helping me to recovering some back property taxes paid. A 800 number was provided, but I never called.
I figured if the county wanted to send me money, they know my address.

Jasper,
I just wanted to mention that you might want to check into the tax thing more, albeit through different methods than the 800 number. The reason I say this is because sometimes there is something out there prompting the scams. I got a notice that I had $ waiting for me from HUD for a house I had sold. Supposedly, if I sent in $25 I could get it. So I looked online and it turns out it was a scam, but I really did have $ waiting. Online I found out that if you send the company the $25 bucks that will tell you how you can get your money (go to HUD's website), not send you your money. I found out online all I had to do was go a HUD website and check a list for my name and apply for the refund through them. My name was there. I guess it was also there for the scammers to access. I am so appreciative of others sharing their info online. I actually got over $500!

Every state has an unclaimed property site, check it and you may find money owed to you. A refund you never claimed from a utility co when you moved, etc. Go to the state website you live in first,then go to unclaimed property.

I'm not sure that charging to steer someone to unclaimed money should really be considered a scam. The company just looks at the list of unclaimed funds and notifies you. They are providing a service and $25 isn't that bad. In many, many cases the people would never know that they had unclaimed money without this notice from the company. So, the $25 could be a bargain. Now if they are charging people $25 and there really is no unclaimed funds...now that is a scam.

I think the Postal Service should post these types of scams on a bulletin board in the lobby. Especially when you consider that many elderly folks are not computer saavy.

Once time when I was at the post office, I ran into an elderly gentleman who didn't speak good english. He wanted me to help him address something that was going to a Canadian lottery.

I told him it wasn't legitimate and that he should never have to pay for anything he might have won. He seemed determined to go through with it anyway. Perhaps if he had seen an official warning, he might not have gone through with it...

Every state has an unclaimed property site, check it and you may find money owed to you.

Here's an example of the scam I was referring to. http://www.cashunclaimed.com/index.phtml

The scammers site searches a nation wide database for your name, e.g. Joe Smith. The search returns "We located $319,127.19 which may belong to Joe Smith".

Heres the trick...For a fee they'll give you more details like the name and address(es) of the actual
"Joe Smith(s)", but only after the get your money!

Like a previous poster mentioned, this info is free at your state website. I checked my state website for unclaimed property and sure nuff, I got nothing.

-jasper

There is a website (I don't have it anymore) where you can put in your name and it will tell you if there is unclaimed property in ANY state that may belong to you. I did this over a year ago, after finding out that the state of Iowa (I live in Washington) had unclaimed property, shares of stock that we didn't know about, for my sister and me from our father's estate (a cousin in Iowa notified me - they went to a county fair and plugged in her maiden name - the same as mine - and up came my name. The state of Iowa conveniently had a kiosk there for that purpose). Well, I decided to see if there was any other unclaimed property anywhere else and, sure enough, there was some in Tennessee (a refund from an overpaid hospital bill in Washington somehow got sent to Tennessee from Washington. Tennesse was where the insurer was located.)

So, check it out. I would never have thought that there was any unclaimed property out there for me as I am pretty careful about making sure where my money goes and whether I am paid what I'm owed. But it happens.

Hi guys new of the forum,
want to say Margie, that i was googling around to findsomebody has my same issue about this stupid postal card and i saw yours.
I had received that card as well, but i have some debts i shold say, do you think is a scam still? or i should check with my court house about any lawsuit against me?
I m really nervous about this card from AARON AND GOLD, seem is the same one you got it.
Any suggestions?

It's a scam. Everyone has debts, but if you're in arrears, you'll receive collection letters first, and if you still haven't paid up (or consolidated your debt through a legitimate co. that YOU approach first), then you could get a notice from a lawyer, but what you do then is go to the co. you owe money to and ASK them if a) that lawyer works for them, b) did they in fact put your name on a list for legal action. And if you start getting paranoid and running to the courthouse every time something comes out of the blue at you, you'll have a miserable life - don't do it.

Thank you Lucy for the advice, actually i m in colletion process sicne one year already for several credit cards, and im in a consolidation program settlement (i know they are not safe programs to prevent the sue actions).
That is why i wasnervous about this card, because im wonder how these people know about any sue actions against me?
I rather wait then for a lawsuit in paper here at home and eventually i'll go to a lawyer when will be necessary.
Gosh they have to do something for these scammers around.

tnx again lucy.

Jacdux - They DON'T know! They send out thousands of letters to groups of people in the alphabet (a-m, n-z) that a computer tracked from cyberspace (internet), just hoping someone will be scared enough to fall for their nonsense and pay them to 'help'. No one is going to sue you!

Lucy has some good adbvice Jacdux. Y0ur consolidation program usually does prevent lawsits. How come yours doesn't? The people you owe money to are receiving money so why shoud they sue you? All it would do is drive you to file BK. I think you might want to check and see how much your consolidation program has distributed to your creditors. You know how much they have collected from you. Check to be sure that they didn't keep most of the money you have paid in for their fees.

A couple of years ago I was sent a letter from a collection agency demanding payment for unpaid services (electricity bill) in a town I had never even been to. I got the letter on Friday and spent the weekend fretting over this, wondering whether someone had stolen my identity. I emailed the agency on the Monday and was told that they sent the letter to everyone they could find with the name that was on the account. I wonder if they found the right person or how many people actually paid it thinking that it would affect their credit if this was over their heads.

There is always someone who will fall for this because they are looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That is so much easier than working for your money. LOL