How to tell an unclaimed-property scam from a legitimate recovery service.
Everything in this guide is publicly verifiable. We’ll tell you exactly what to look for — and where to check.
On this page
Five red flags of an unclaimed-property scam
If a letter, email, or phone call trips any one of these, stop and verify before you share anything.
No phone number, no address, or only an email.
Legitimate recovery services publish a working phone number, a physical business address, and an email. If the only way to reach a company is a Gmail address or a web form, walk away. Real businesses have to be findable — it is how the state, courts, and the press reach them.
They ask for money before they recover anything.
Georgia law forbids a registered Claimant Designated Representative from charging an upfront fee for recovering unclaimed property. Full stop. If someone demands a filing fee, a "processing fee," or a retainer before they have recovered a dollar for you, that is illegal under O.C.G.A. §44-12-224. Hang up.
They claim a fee above 30%.
Georgia law permits no more than 30% in recovery fees (O.C.G.A. §44-12-224). Anyone quoting 40%, 50%, or a “finder’s fee that depends on how much we recover” is either unregistered or ignoring the statute. On a recovery-fee arrangement you keep at least 70% — that is not a courtesy, it is the law. (Our own fee is 15% — half that cap.)What about cash offers? A registered CDR may separately offer to buy a claim outright under state Form UP-CDR4 — that is a purchase, not a recovery fee, so the 30% fee cap doesn’t apply to it. It is always optional: you can decline any cash offer, and you must be told you can file free with the State for the full amount. Reclaim Georgia does not currently buy claims — we only recover them on contingency.
They pressure you with "act now" urgency.
Unclaimed property in Georgia has no filing deadline. The state holds it indefinitely on your behalf. Any letter, email, or phone call that says "you have 48 hours" or "this offer expires tonight" is manufacturing urgency to rush you into signing. A legitimate representative will still be there next week.
The letter is missing the notice Georgia requires.
Check the disclosure printed on the letter you received. It identifies the mailing as an offer of services, explains that it is not an official government document, and makes clear that using the service is optional. If a letter leaves that explanation out, buries it in fine print, or presents itself as an official state document, verify the sender before responding.
How to verify any recovery service — including us
Four steps. Nothing confidential. Anyone claiming to be legitimate can pass all four in under fifteen minutes.
Ask for their CDR registration number.
Every licensed recovery service in Georgia is registered with the state Department of Revenue as a Claimant Designated Representative and has a registration on file. Ours is published on our credentials page. If a company cannot tell you theirs in one sentence, that alone tells you everything.
Call the Georgia Department of Revenue and ask.
The GA DOR Unclaimed Property Program answers the phone at (855) 329-9863. Ask whether the company that contacted you is on the official CDR list. They will tell you. They have no reason to lie, and they have every reason to keep that list accurate.
Look the business up with the Georgia Secretary of State.
Every legitimate Georgia business is registered with the Secretary of State Corporations Division. Search the company name at ecorp.sos.ga.gov. You should see a live business record with a control number, a registered agent, and an active status. Reclaim Georgia LLC, Control # 26062343, appears there.
Ask to see the state’s public list of registered CDRs.
The Department of Revenue keeps a list of every active Claimant Designated Representative. If you do not see the list published on the DOR website, you can request it under Georgia’s Open Records Act, or ask the program officer on the phone to read off whether a specific company is on it. A real CDR will be on that list. A scam will not.
Scam vs. legitimate CDR
What the same situation looks like from a scammer and from a registered Claimant Designated Representative.
| What to look at | A scam | A legitimate CDR |
|---|---|---|
| Contact information | Email only. No address, no phone. | Phone, email, and a physical address — all published. |
| Fee timing | Asks for money before they recover anything. | No fee unless we recover your money. Ever. |
| Fee amount | Any amount the scammer wants to charge. | Capped at 30% by Georgia law (O.C.G.A. §44-12-224). Reclaim Georgia charges 15% — half the cap. |
| Urgency tactics | "Act now." "This expires tonight." Pressure. | No deadline exists. Take your time. |
| Solicitation notice | Buries or omits the notice Georgia requires. | Carries it in capital letters, where you can see it. |
| State registration | Cannot be verified on any public list. | Publicly listed as a Claimant Designated Representative. |
Contact information
A scam
Email only. No address, no phone.
Legitimate CDR
Phone, email, and a physical address — all published.
Fee timing
A scam
Asks for money before they recover anything.
Legitimate CDR
No fee unless we recover your money. Ever.
Fee amount
A scam
Any amount the scammer wants to charge.
Legitimate CDR
Capped at 30% by Georgia law (O.C.G.A. §44-12-224). Reclaim Georgia charges 15% — half the cap.
Urgency tactics
A scam
"Act now." "This expires tonight." Pressure.
Legitimate CDR
No deadline exists. Take your time.
Solicitation notice
A scam
Buries or omits the notice Georgia requires.
Legitimate CDR
Carries it in capital letters, where you can see it.
State registration
A scam
Cannot be verified on any public list.
Legitimate CDR
Publicly listed as a Claimant Designated Representative.
Here’s every public fact about us.
We think you should apply the same test to us that you apply to anyone else. So here is what you can verify right now.
Georgia LLC
Reclaim Georgia LLC, Control # 26062343
Registered with the Georgia Secretary of State.
CDR Registration
Claimant Designated Representative #202400088
Registered with the Georgia Department of Revenue · valid through 2030.
Phone
(470) 460-8175
A real number. Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm ET — we answer when we can, and every message gets a call back.
Mailing address
8735 Dunwoody Place, Ste N, Atlanta, GA 30350
A registered business mailing address. We operate remotely — all correspondence goes here.
Got a letter from us? Here’s what a real one looks like.
Our notice names the State of Georgia as the holder, carries our CDR registration number, calls us a private firm and never asks for a payment. Compare yours against this sample.
What we’d say if you asked us to prove we’re real
Good. You should ask. Here is exactly what we would hand you.
Ask us for our CDR number.
It is on our credentials page. We will also read it to you over the phone.
Call us at (470) 460-8175.
We answer when we can, and a person — never a bot — returns every message as soon as we can. The number is real; try it.
Verify us with the state.
Call the GA DOR Unclaimed Property Program at (855) 329-9863 and ask if Reclaim Georgia LLC is on the CDR list. It is.
Look us up with the Secretary of State.
Reclaim Georgia LLC, Control # 26062343 — ecorp.sos.ga.gov.
Read your engagement letter before signing.
We do not charge a cent unless the State of Georgia pays you. If you do not get paid, you owe us nothing.
Ready to see if Georgia is holding your money?
Free to search. No obligation. Our fee is half what most Georgia recovery firms charge, and you pay nothing unless we recover your money.
We never charge a cent unless the State of Georgia pays you.