Dear Editor:

My son likes to peruse the Internet, and he told me that I could ask for money that the state of California was holding for an utility overpayment I had made over 15 years ago. It was easy peasy to ask for the money to be sent to me.

I then decided to check the Nevada site and lo and behold, I had a few dollars there, too. It took more steps to ask for these funds, and I could not do it online as California allowed.

Having too much time on my hands, I decided to go through my contact list and search if any of my relatives or close friends also had money due.

Wow, some of my relatives had over $17,000. Interestingly, after notifying each of them, the majority did not believe my e-mail notification,  thinking that it was spam or a phishing attempt. I even called one friend who does not use the computer much, but he owns a chain of fast food outlets and he said he thought it was a scheme to get his ID. I told him it was a secure official state site, but he was still leery.

It is an example of how scared people are of information received via e-mail, yet these same people will quickly believe urban legends disseminate the same way.

How do you check whether you have money due? Use a search browser such as Google, and type in: “unclaimed property” (add the state where you lived and you might check several). Go to that state’s .gov Website and NOT a service that charges a fee. Once on the state’s secure Website, look for the unclaimed property search box. After finding that link, type in your name.

Start by just putting in your last name only. Look at the list and click on any that might be for you. If the list is very long, then put in the initial of your first name and again check.

Finally, you can put in your full first name and check that list.

The direct link to the Nevada Website is: https://nevadatreasurer.gov/upsearch. The direct link to the California Website is: https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/ucp.

Good luck. If you need more help, you might ask a friend who is computer savvy or e-mail me at KaeruKid@yahoo.com.