Scam!!!! It's funny my wife got one of their letters stating the amount was $100 less than the check she received from the state. We got a letter from this almost a month after she submitted her claim and received a check in the mail from the state. If you get a letter from them, do your own research and claim the money for free it will only take a few minutes and you get the full amount. read more

This investigation agency pulls public records and cold-sends a letter when funds have been escheated to the State of California. This legally allows them to charge 10% for something that can easily be done yourself. Simply go to https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/ to begin the simple process. Then force Payne Richards to remove you or your loved one's information from their database. Anonymously, if possible. They never state that these are unclaimed funds, but that is a "Refund." I guess this is legal, but very deceptive. I don't mind paying for a service, but I object to organizations that are sneaky like this. Shame on you, Payne Richards. PS. Hey at least they send you a letter! read more

They sent me a letter saying I had unclaimed funds and they would charge me to receive them. I never contacted them. I did the leg work and collected information and went to claimittexas.gov. After like 3-4 months, my information was enough and I received my money. Now im receiving a letter from Payne Richards& Associates to pay 10%. They're crazy. SCAMMMEEERRRRRRSSS. read more

I have NO idea why there are so many negative reviews. THIS has everything to do with YOUR CASE. If you can do the leg work yourself...do it. I moved to a new residence over 20 years ago. A company I had stock with, went belly up. I am sure they tried to contact me at my old address. However, due to not seeing my dad or just ignoring my mail, I missed out on claiming my money. Payne Richards contacted me via USPS. I was skeptical at first but I knew the company they talked about. I did some research and saw they went belly up. I took a chance, filled out the form, got it notarized and sent it in. A month later I got an email from the commonwealth of MA. They are asking for verification as well. They verified Payne Richards and I also called the company to ask a few separate questions. They were nothing but kind and gracious. They are not a scam. They are legit. I would have definitely missed out on this money if it wasn't for them. They did the work, they deserve the %. I have NO problem with that. I feel someone was definitely looking out for me on this one. Vacation is PAID IN FULL! Thank you again Lisa from Western Mass (NOT Canada....have no idea why this says I am...HA!) read more

This investigation agency pulls public records and sends letter when funds have been escheated to the State of Pennsylvania. This legally allows them to charge 10% for something that can easily be done yourself. Claim it yourself with unclaimed money and state. Do not send a notarized letter with social security number and address to an unknown source. No stars but that wasn't an option. read more

This investigation agency pulls public records and cold-sends a letter when funds have been escheated to the State of California. This legally allows them to charge 10% for something that can easily be done yourself. Simply go to https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/ to begin the simple process. Then force Payne Richards to remove you or your loved one's information from their database. Anonymously, if possible. They never state that these are unclaimed funds, but that is a "Refund." I guess this is legal, but very deceptive. I don't mind paying for a service, but I object to organizations that are sneaky like this. Shame on you, Payne Richards. read more

Why in the entire world would an organization 2,900 miles from my residence send me a letter indicating that (1) they have unclaimed funds; (2) I need to pay a notary to confirm I am the person they sent the letter to; (3) if THEY DETERMINE IT APPROVED the will send me MY FUNDS AFTER I PAY 15%. How about you keep it, I will ask the Federal Beurau of Investigations what are my options as a United States Former Marine. I put my life on the line for my fellow Americans and they want to charge me for MY FUNDS - which by the way I didn't ask any one to look up unclaimed funds because I'm capable of finding them myself - https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Common-Elements/Consumer-Facts-and-Contacts/Unclaimed-Property FBI - What Is a Money Mule? A money mule is someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else. https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/money-mules read more

This business is NOT A SCAM! I thought it was when I received a letter from them on 11/16/2023. They said I had unclaimed monies from a real estate transaction that happened many years ago involving my homeowner's insurance. I didn't believe it, so I called the insurance company and sure enough, I was owed money. It turns out that the insurance co sent the money to the state of CA. I've never lived in CA and I had to send in some paperwork to prove to CA that is was my money. It took a while going back and forth, but I worked with Krystal at Payne Richards and she was great. We communicated mostly by email, but she was always available when I called. Last week, 10/5/24, I received my check for $696. As stated, Payne Richards took 10% from the gross amount. I am thrilled that they recovered my money. I am happy to report they are not a SCAM! read more

Do not FALL FOR THIS. They are 3rd party company that combs state controller websites for unclaimed properties/cash and then mails out forms telling people to use them to recover funds. They are absolutely unnecessary. Use your own states State Controller website (mine is california https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/en/Property/SearchIndex) to search for your claim without their 'help' skimming off the top. read more

Like many in the comments I did not go this firm to collect my money as I would rather handle anything like regarding personal information (especially SSN) directly through the governmental office related to it when possible. I do see that if you start the process with them they will invoice you and some people reported issues with collections or incorrect information. I can't speak to that as I'm not actually employing their services. However, I would have had no idea I had this money waiting for me. So I think what they're doing is fantastic in many ways. I'm sure many people have had a similar experience. I actually tossed the letter aside thinking it was a scam before later checking in and realizing that it is real! Yes, this is money that is legally mine and I don't have to pay to get it, but I would have had no idea if it wasn't for this letter. So thank you! read more

What a scam. My dad died years ago and my mom signed a document with these fools. She gave them zero info except her signature. Fast forward several years and I realized that my dad had money in unclaimed property with the state. I submitted multiple claims, countless documents, multiple phone calls to the state and was happy to receive money - it was weirdly satisfying. Several months later o get an invoice from PR&A that I owe them 10%. They literally did NOTHING. Best advice - steer clear of these people. The state will help you reclaim your money. No need to give 10% to these folks for nothing. read more

I received the letter as well but they wanted a 15% fee. Evidently the fees have increased from 10%. Thankfully I had been through something similar with my aunt's unclaimed funds as the executor of her estate when she passed away so I didn't take the bait. It is perfectly legal for them to do this and yes they are taking advantage of people's ignorance to the process of retrieving unclaimed funds. You can completely go on the identified state's site for unclaimed funds and with a few clicks that prove your identity, a check can be mailed to you. You can also read the disclosure section (4) of the letter of authorization that is sent to you. The disclosure provides you with the info you need to collect the money yourself. Basically the info due back to Payne Richards takes longer to compile and send back than doing it yourself through the state's unclaimed funds site. read more

I filed with the State Controller for unclaimed property in the amount of about $1,000. Simple enough; everything went great and I was just waiting for my check in the mail. Then I received a letter from this "firm" claiming the State Controller's Office was unable to contact me and that my unclaimed property had been transferred to a 3rd party, but for 10% of the total amount, Payne Richards would be able to get the assets to me. I knew immediately this was BS, and the very next day I received my check in full from the State Controller. This is a blatant LIE, and I can't believe these scam artists are able to tell people they were acting on behalf of the State Controller to get my unclaimed property from some shady 3rd party account for a fee, when my check was literally in the mail directly from the state. If you received a letter from these people about unclaimed property you were previously unaware of, just set it on fire and file directly with the state, or you will unnecessarily be handing them for 10% of your assets for absolutely no reason. read more

I received a letter saying I had ~ $1,000 owed to me by comcast and they were requesting 10% for bringing it to my attention. I filled out the paperwork on line and now they cannot find it. I plan to go to Navy legal to determine best way read more

Please do not give this firm 10% to recieve claims they send you notification of. You can quickly access the state controllers website in your state, file a claim and access YOUR money for free. Search for your name, and if you don't have success try looking just by last name and scrolling through results until you find your claim. This is a completely uncesscary service that will only file a physical claim in the mail, meaning by the time you receive 90% of YOUR money it will likely take months. I filed online and recieved my claim in less than two weeks. read more

I received a letter from Payne Richards and Associates about a refund of mine on May 2nd. I responded to the letter and haven't heard or received anything from them. I just want to get my money read more

I didn't use your service but thanks for letting me know that the state controller owed me money. They aren't a scammer but want a profit from you if they help you get it. It's very simple, all you have to do is go to california unclaimed property and register into thier system. Less than a minute read more

I did NOT use this company, but similar to many of the above reviews, this company alerted me of unclaimed money I would have otherwise not known about or not discovered for many years. As is typical with approximately 100% of businesses, they operate for-profit. In other words, they alerted me of money I was unaware of, and offered to take the tedious process of filing for the money off of my hands for a fee. Seems fair to me. Again, I did not use them, but appreciate them brining my unclaimed money to my attention. Thank you! read more

Scam was told by reporting party to turn letter over to Attorney General. Not responding to a lie. Went directly to the person mentioned in the letter, and they advised me. read more

Thanks for letting me know of the unclaimed property, but I'll take it from here. :) PS: This is not a scam, but like many other people below said, you can claim the money yourself, just google "STATE unclaimed property" and start they process. And don't sign anything with these people or they will come after you. read more

They're not a scam, but I didn't use them. They were nice enough to let me know about what my state owed me. I'm grateful for them. Just because someone wants to offer their services to you for fee, doesn't mean they are a scam. I'm not saying I wouldn't have found out any other way, but I'm thankful they brought it to my attention so that I could look more into it. I was able to claim on my own by googling " Texas (my state) unclaimed property". I read the reviews here and it helped me tremendously. I want to say thanks to everyone on here that stated I could claim my money on my own. If you don't want to go to the trouble, then I'm sure this company will be happy to help you for a fee or percentage. Regardless... thank you everyone and Payne Richards and Associates for giving me a heads up! -Michael read more

Yes, these guys are scum bags. They only sent me letters stating that the State of Texas owed me 868.00 which I already knew in the summer of 2018 via my cousin. So, I never called them or exchanged emails with them and they sent me an invoice for 85.49 and claim I am Past Due. One, the amount that they had was incorrect and two -- they showed on the invoice a digital e-signature. And I never sent them anything. So, they forged my signature to collect 85.49. I will send this letter and invoice to the Attorney General's office to avoid further issues with this scam of a company. Just report them to your Attorney General's office for fraudulent services rendered. FYI, I never received my amount yet from the State of Texas. read more

I found out through Credit Karma that I had unclaimed money therefore I clicked on the link provided to inquire a couple weeks later to receive a letter from Payne Richards & Associates stating they used private investigators to find me and my current address. (which I really doubted as I've had the same address for sometime) Although the letter seems legit parts of it seem very sketchy at the same time as the address listed is in a California: 3801 Pegasus Drive Suite 101 Bakersfield, CA However the phone numbers provided are: An Austin, Texas area code (512) 649-4019 and New Orleans (504) 224-5882 ) Before I did anything else I decided to "google" them and what do ya know?!!! So glad I did. The reviews were very helpful and also informed me that I can go through the state comptrollers office and receive this without being SCAMMED! read more

Don't know why so many bad comments. Without the letter from this company they would never had known about the money they needed to claim. I think it is worth a founder's fee (a tip of sorts). I went to the Tax office and answered about 6 question and that was it. about 10 days later I received a check. It is not much to do or understand to check with the Tax collector's office and calm any money you may have coming. but also if you do not want to deal with it, a small fee for them to deal with it is not a bad thing. BUT this letter you receive is REAL not a scam. you can go to the tax collector office website in your city and do a search and you will find you and the money this company is claiming. it might be easier to just do it yourself. But still i am grateful for this letter. i would have missed out on getting back money owed me. read more

This company runs searches with the state using YOUR INFORMATION and then sends you letters saying they can help you claim money from the state which is LEGALLY OWED TO YOU. Then they fill out some forms for you and take 10% of the money that IS ALREADY YOURS. what a sham. Google "california unclaimed property" and go to the California Unclaimed Property - State of California website and do this for yourself for FREE read more

This company is 100% legit. I also received a letter in the mail from them. I decided to follow-up and received my check from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in the mail. The check is real and cleared in my Chase Banking Acct. If it wasn't for Payne Richards and Associates I would never known about my unclaimed money. I didn't mind paying the service fee because they did help me. They deserve it, they provide a service for me. I'm only writing to give other people confidence to just try and to give props to this company. What harm does trying hurt you. It's your money claim it. Thank you Payne Richards and Associates.... read more

This company is a scam. They will not honor their word and lie about what they did. I ended up paying them $40 just to get them to leave me alone. Do not trust these thieves, they will say they will help you but require you to do all the work. They will lie about money your do and they will lie about check going out. BEWARE don't waste your money any letter you get from these morons is a scam. read more

I did not use their service. However, they alerted me to some unclaimed money I had in the state of Texas. For me, it was easier to just claim the money myself (start with a Google search), but if I were computer illiterate I would consider their 10% fee a reasonable amount to pay someone else to do it. I don't think this is a scam. I think that many people are cautious of giving out their personal information and others are seemingly angry that a business would ask for 10% to do this paperwork for them. read more

I wish I would have had time to investigate this further and not allowed my parent to pursue this matter. Before proceeding with this company please read this AARP article on the matter: https://blog.aarp.org/scam-alert/dont-pay-for-your-missing-money read more

I wasn't sure if this was for real, if it was perhaps a scam. But I did some research and decided to take a chance. I filled out the paperwork and about 6 months later I received a check from the state. Extremely satisfied with their service. Nice quarantine surprise!! Thanks Payne Richards. read more

These people are scammers. You can just go onto the CA https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov government website and enter your name in to see if you have unclaimed funds. There's no use for this company. They just want a cut of your money. Not worth it! read more

Lol thank god for this company, or I'd never have known that I lost like 3k in an old bank account in 2004. I got a letter from Payne Richards and thought it was a scam, but I googled it and realized that they're just a legal company that takes a 10% cut off of retrieving people's lost money in state holding. So instead of giving them $300 for getting this money back for me, I just googled how to do it myself, found the website for Massachusetts (haha it's actually called findmassmoney.com) and called them. Took 5 minutes. So I didn't actually use this service but I'm glad they tracked me down. read more

We received the scam letter yesterday. We knew something was fishy right away. I am so glad we read the other reviews on Yelp so that we could find out what happened to other scam victims. Every bad review adds up to what this company is....a scam. We certainly followed our first instinct that this was a scam and now that we read the other negative reviews on here, we confirmed our suspicions. Never give your social security information to scam artists like this. read more

I went to the State controller office website and found the money I had was real ! I simply submitted the info and got my $350 on my own ! The letter from JR and Associates informed me of real money . Thanks ! read more

This is a real company that thankfully helps you find unclaimed properties that you might not recognize on your end. You can use this company's service with a processing fee as they specify in their letter or reach out to your state bureau of unclaimed property to get the money by filling out the claim form. read more

I received a letter from this company regarding unclaimed funds. I researched it and indeed there is some out there in the state I used to live. I filed on line through the department of treasury to get my money. Any person can search the web and do not need the help of this company that is charging a fee. It takes less than 5 minutes! read more

New name needed for this company : Fraud, Scammers and Phonies, Inc. but so polite on the phone! Lol! Couldn't convince me to send a copy of a drivers license or Social Security Card...duh! Seriously, they prey on seniors for small amounts of lost cash or refunds. STAY AWAY! We are reporting to insurance fraud board.c read more

They are NOT a scammer, they are a company whose help you to know that you have an unclaimed money and if you want their help, they charge you fee. Thank you PRA for letting me know. I just claimed it myself, without your letter to me, I wouldn't have known. For that reason, I gave you a 4 star rating for letting me know although I didn't give you business but I DO appreciate your indirect awareness notification. read more

DO NOT FILE A CLAIM WITH THESE PEOPLE. They are a legal business, but their documentation will lead you to believe that they are holding funds, or that there is a requirement for you to go through them to receive your funds. Go to your state comptroller site. They do offer consulting services, but they look for people who are owed money and present the money as if you have to go through them to retrieve it. It is only after you sign their documentation that you learn you have to do the legwork through the state yourself. The letters they send are deliberately misleading, and as one of their representatives communicated to me over the phone, if they told you upfront where to get your money, there would be no reason for them to be in business. The wording in their letter is deliberately vague, and as soon as you pursue the claim through their site, they will bill you at a rate of 10% for you to claim your money through the state. THEY WILL BILL YOU 10% OF YOUR MONEY, FOR YOU TO CLAIM IT YOURSELF THROUGH THE STATE. It is a legitimate and legal practice, but why pay them 10% when you have to go get your money yourself anyway. I was notified that I would have some money returned to me through the party which owed me. I was expecting the money. I would've gone to the State Comptroller anyway, until I received this letter from Payne Richards and Associates. Based on the way the letter reads, I understood it that I had to file the claim with them. I signed the papers, I'm the sucker. I told the representative that if they invoiced me, I would pay it, but I would leave reviews everywhere I could to explain how they are actually making their money. The representative's response was basically that if I knew the money was out there, why did I sign their claim forms? I signed the claim forms because the letters they send are deliberately misleading and they're counting on suckers like me to not do the independent research. I signed, so they'll get their 10%. Don't be like me. It's a lawful practice, but they're counting on misinformed people. They do a minimal amount of work, and help themselves to your money. They're taking advantage of peoples' ignorance. It's a clever business, but don't enable them. read more

People.. give this place 5 stars!!! If this place did not sent you a mail to let you know about your unclaimed property, you would have never found out. I received a mail from this place and I thought it was some sort of scam. But I found out it's actually legit and I just made a call to local dept to receive all the necessary paper works emailed to me to sign... even though I did not use this conpany's service like most of reviewers here, if this company never found me send me a letter to notify me, my almost $1000 would have gone to mass state. read more