WHY HAVE I BEEN CONTACTED REGARDING FINANCES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST?
At Money Returns, we take it upon ourselves to reach out, assist and work with people that are entitled to lost and unclaimed money. We may have contacted you because we believe that lost money may be owed to you. In most cases, people are unaware that their money is lost and waiting to be claimed so it’s likely to be a nice surprise to learn that money could be owed to you and you didn’t even know about it.
WHAT IS LOST AND UNCLAIMED MONEY?
Individuals and companies occasionally lose track of the money they own, for example, bank accounts, shares, investments and life insurance policies. This may happen because of a change of address, a change of name, a change of employer, a move overseas and, sometimes, just plain oversight. Where this happens, and the financial institution or previous authority is unable to locate the owner of the money, the money is considered “lost”. In most cases, lost money is transferred to a Government trust account and remains there while it is “unclaimed”. What may interest you is that, if owners of this money do not step forward, this money is then taken up as Government revenue. In most cases this is the inevitable fate for lost money unless the correct owner steps forward to claim their lost money.
What makes this process even more difficult is that each State in Australia has separate laws relating to lost funds and various institutions responsible for lost monies unique to that State (with their own set of individual claiming rules and procedures). This can make this process very difficult as small mistakes can lead to a much more difficult return process later and may require months of assistance in order to complete the claim. Therefore, it’s always better to make sure that your claim is done right the first time.
WHO WE HELP
Individual
Corporate & Business
Government & Charities
HOW IS MY MONEY RETURNED?
Our refund experts specialise in finding unclaimed funds for Australia individuals and companies who have lost track of their money. We assist in first verifying the identity of the rightful owner(s) and then assist with the claims process by managing the documentation, preparation and submission of claims.
IF I DON’T CHOOSE TO CLAIM THESE LOST MONIES, WHAT HAPPENS THEN?
The answer is simple; the funds will stay (in many cases) in a Government trust account and will remain unclaimed. Then, depending on which authority holds the funds, the money will be transferred into the Government’s consolidated revenue fund once a certain period of time has passed. In other words, the Government gets it, and it’s gone!
HOW DO PEOPLE MISPLACE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR?
Every day, people and businesses leave cash in financial institutions, insurance companies, and with Government authorities. It’s human nature to forget and even the best kept records can have gaps. As absurd as it sounds, it happens constantly. It is estimated that 1 in 3 individuals actually have money owing to them without their knowledge. Most commonly, money is lost because of:
Overseas Move
Perhaps you forgot about a deposit? (It’s more common than you think.) Many people move overseas and forget to notify or change their details with their service providers.
Oversight
People forget about their investments all the time. Maybe you invested in some shares when you were 20 and forgot all about them, this is quite common.
Moved House
Perhaps you moved house and may have forgotten to update your new contact details to the relevant organisation and they were unable to contact you or your new address may not have been updated correctly.
READ MORE ABOUT UNCLAIMED MONEY IN THE NEWS
While this particular article discusses bank accounts alone, you can see you’re not alone in having lost funds. A staggering $1.1 billion is currently sitting unclaimed by Australia.
TYPES OF LOST MONEY WAITING TO BE REUNITED WITH ITS OWNERS:
$ 651
Million Shares
$ 1.2
Billion Bank Accounts
$ 84
Million Life Insurance
WHAT KEEPS US IN CHECK!
WHAT LAWS DO YOU HAVE TO ABIDE BY?
There are many laws in place that protect you as a consumer and your lost money. It is an offence under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 to give false or misleading information or documentation. This means that we are bound by law to ensure that we undertake correct procedures. It also means that we are bound by law to promptly refund your funds into your preferred bank account or by cheque.
HOW DO WE STAY UP TO DATE?
We are trained through Create, they serve as a third party validating our claim as a refund professional. We are frequently updated with industry information which keeps our knowledge and training relevant so you can be sure you are putting your trust in the hands of up-to-date industry experts.
UNCLAIMED MONEY ASSOCIATION
The Unclaimed Money Association is the peak body for the Unclaimed Money Industry in Australia. The Unclaimed Money Association provides the industry, specialist, government and the public with proper representation, information and education. The Unclaimed Money Association provides industry guidelines for service providers to best practice in the unclaimed money industry.