The golden rule
Government registers never charge a fee, never ask for a payment to release funds, and never contact you first demanding urgent action. If money is genuinely yours, you can find it yourself in a few minutes and claim it at no cost.
No legitimate register will ever ask you to pay a tax, a transfer fee, a legal fee or a release fee before paying you. Any request for an upfront payment is a scam, without exception.
Warning signs
Unsolicited contact by email, text, phone or social media claiming you are owed money. Genuine registers publish the information and wait for you to search.
Pressure and deadlines. Unclaimed money in Australia does not expire, so any claim that you must act within 24 or 48 hours is false.
Requests for your full identity documents, banking logins or card details up front. Real claims are lodged through the institution's own secure process, not by emailing scans to a stranger.
Overseas inheritances, distant relatives and lottery windfalls. These are the classic advance fee frauds dressed up as unclaimed money.
Fee-charging finder services
Some operators are not scams but commercial finders. They search the public registers, contact the owner, and offer to recover the money for a percentage - commonly between 10 and 30 per cent.
What they do is legal, but it is work you can do yourself for free using the same public registers. Some states cap or restrict what finders may charge; read any agreement carefully before signing.
Never sign a finder's agreement without first searching the free registers yourself. Once you know what you are owed, you no longer need them.
If you think you've been targeted
Do not respond, do not pay, and do not send documents. Report the approach to Scamwatch, and to your bank immediately if you have already sent money or card details.
If you have shared identity documents, contact IDCARE, the national identity support service, for free advice on protecting yourself.
Tip: If anyone asks for a payment to release your money, it is a scam - every official Australian register is free.
Common questions
Official sources
This guide is based on the official Australian registers and the bodies that administer them. Always search and claim through these sites directly - they are free.