How to tell a real surplus-recovery firm from a scam
If you've lost a property in Ohio, you've probably gotten the letters. "You may be entitled to funds." Some are legitimate. Some are fishing. A few are outright predatory. You should be skeptical of all of them, including this one, until they earn it.
Good news: it's not hard to tell them apart if you know what to press on.
The red flags
Watch for anyone who wants money from you before you've recovered anything. A legitimate recovery firm gets paid out of the funds, after they come in. If someone asks for a "filing fee" or "processing fee" up front, stop.
Be wary of pressure. "Sign today or you'll lose it" is a sales tactic. Real deadlines exist, but a straight operator will show you the actual date on the county's list, not just rush you.
And be careful with anyone who won't tell you the amount or refuses to point you to the record. If they act like the surplus is a secret only they can access, that's backwards. It's public.
The questions that sort them out
You don't need to be a lawyer to vet these people. Ask a few plain questions and watch how they answer.
- "Where is this money, exactly, and can you show me the record?" An honest firm points you to the court file or the county's unclaimed-funds list. A scam gets vague.
- "What's your fee, and when do you get paid?" The answer should be a clear percentage, in writing, paid only out of what's recovered.
- "Is an attorney involved, and can I talk to them before I sign?" Surplus claims run through a court. A real operation has a licensed attorney and won't hide them from you.
- "What if I'd rather file it myself?" The answer should be, "You can, here's how." Anyone who tries to talk you out of your own records is protecting themselves, not you.
A simple rule: the more someone encourages you to verify everything on your own, the more you can trust them. Fraud can't survive daylight. It needs you to not look.
What "doing it right" looks like
A recovery firm you can trust will confirm the surplus with public records and show you where they are, put the fee in writing before you commit, have a licensed Ohio attorney review and file the claim, and tell you plainly that you're free to walk away or handle it yourself. No upfront cost. No pressure. No mystery about where the money is.
That's the standard we hold ourselves to, and it's the standard you should hold anyone to, including us.
Want us to check your property and show you the record? That's the whole point.
General information, not legal advice. Claims we handle are reviewed and filed by a licensed Ohio attorney.