Questions

Your name — or the name of a relative — came up in public records as someone who may be owed a refund that has never been collected. We go through those records, and we write to everyone we find. There is nothing unusual about being on that list; a great many people are.

Through ordinary public records and commercial address databases — the same sources a bank or an insurer would use. We did not get your information from a credit report, and nothing about contacting you affects your credit in any way.

Two things, without taking our word for anything. First, we never ask you for money, a bank account number, or a card number — not to get started, not ever. A request for payment is the clearest sign you are not dealing with us. We also do not ask for a Social Security number when you first contact us; some government offices require taxpayer-identification information later in order to process a claim, and if that point comes we will explain what is required and give you a secure way to send it. Second, you owe nothing unless funds are recovered: our fee comes out of the recovery, so if nothing is recovered, the cost of the work is ours. Read the agreement before you sign it, take as long as you like, and ask us anything first.

Yes. The code just tells us which mailing you received; it is a convenience, not a requirement. Start without it and we will find your file from your name. You can also start on behalf of a parent or another relative who received the letter.

No. Boomerang Equity is a private company. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any government agency, court, or public office, and we never present ourselves as one. We are a service you may hire, and you are free not to.

It is money left over from the sale of a property. When a property is sold to settle what was owed on it and the sale brings in more than that amount, the difference does not belong to the government. Depending on state law and any interests recorded against the property, it may be payable to lienholders, to the former owner, to the owner's estate or heirs, or to other legally entitled parties. The office that ran the sale holds it until someone claims it. That is what we believe may be sitting in your name.

We will tell you the amount in writing before you sign anything — you should never be asked to agree to a fee without knowing what it is a fee on. The office, the file number and the rest of the paperwork come with your agreement, once you have asked us to act for you. That is the point at which the file becomes ours to work.

In most cases yes, and you are never required to use us or any company. Procedures vary by state and by the type of claim — some require the claimant to file personally, and some call for a licensed attorney. What you would be taking on is the part that actually decides these claims: documenting identity and entitlement to the standard the office requires, getting it filed before the deadline, and answering their questions for however many months it takes. People hire us for that work, and because our fee only exists if the money actually arrives.

Usually yes, and it varies by state. These funds are not held indefinitely — depending on state law, money left unclaimed may eventually be forfeited, transferred to another government agency, or become subject to a different claiming procedure. That is the single biggest reason these refunds go uncollected. We will tell you the specific deadline that applies to you once we confirm your file.

A claim often survives the person named, and may be payable to the estate or to heirs — though who is entitled depends on state law and on any other recorded interests. This is common and we deal with it regularly. It takes more documentation — proof of death and proof of relationship — and depending on the state and the amount it may need to go through probate. Tell us the situation and we will tell you what the office generally requires. We are not a law firm, so if your circumstances call for legal advice we will say so rather than give it.

Nothing up front, ever. We are paid only if funds are successfully recovered, and our fee is paid out of the recovered funds under your written agreement. Our fee varies according to the state, the type of claim, and applicable law, and it will never exceed the legal maximum. You will receive the exact percentage and an estimated dollar amount in writing before you sign anything. If nothing is recovered you owe us nothing, and we cover the filing costs either way.

Because we take the risk and do the work. We pay the filing costs, assemble the proof that is required, meet the deadline, and chase the follow-up — and if nothing comes of it, that time and money is ours to lose, not yours. You keep the great majority of whatever is recovered, and nothing at all changes hands unless it is.

Most claims take a few months from filing to payment, and some take longer. The pace is set by the office holding the funds, not by us. Estates and claims with several heirs take longest. We will give you a realistic estimate for your situation up front, and we tell you when it moves.

We keep the paperwork as straightforward as possible and explain each document before it is signed. There is our own agreement, and then whatever the office itself requires — claim forms, affidavits, or authorizations — which varies by county, by state, and by the type of claim. You do not have to go anywhere for any of it: when you are ready we arrange a mobile notary who comes to you at a time that suits you, at no cost to you. There is no office to visit and no courthouse. You will have read our agreement, with the amount and the holding office written on it, before anyone knocks on your door.

The office holding the funds releases them once the claim is approved, through whatever disbursement process that office uses. Our fee is then paid out of the recovered funds in the way your written agreement sets out, and the rest is yours — so you are never out of pocket and you never pay us from your own money. We tell you when the claim is approved and roughly when to expect payment. We never ask for your bank account or card details to start a claim; anyone who does is not us.

Yes. We do not sell, rent, or trade your information, and we never ask for your bank account or card details. We share it with the office where your claim is filed — only what that office requires — and with the service providers who help us run the business and work your claim, such as our website, document, and storage providers. They may use it only to perform that work for us, never for their own marketing. Our Privacy Policy lists the categories in full.

Before you sign, there is nothing to stop — contacting us or asking us to review a possible claim commits you to nothing and costs you nothing. Once you sign, we start spending real time and money on your claim, so any cancellation or termination rights from that point are set out in your agreement and follow applicable law. It is written in plain language and we walk you through it before you sign rather than after. Nothing is ever filed in your name without your signature.

Compare them honestly, and read anything before you sign it. Two questions are worth asking anyone: what is your fee as a percentage of what is recovered, and do I owe you anything if nothing is recovered? A company that will not answer both plainly, in writing, is asking you to decide with your eyes closed. Ask us and you will get both answers for your specific claim, in writing, before you sign — and the answer to the second one is no.