PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey officials have a warning to residents: Watch out if you get a text suggesting the state has some unclaimed property of yours.
Michigan, Louisiana and Idaho have also reported a similar trend, according to Steven Harris, who runs the Unclaimed Property Administration within New Jersey's Treasury Department.
"People are getting a text which is saying that there is unclaimed property being held by that state and to click on a link in the text to file a claim or to claim that property," Harris said.
While New Jersey does reach out if they're holding money that may belong to you, they will never do it by texting you — they use email or a letter.
So what's going on?
"They're phishing," Harris explained. "They're trying to get information from you and probably steal some other things. Possibly a bank account, checking account."
Harris's advice if you get one of those texts is to get rid of the text and report them to authorities.
You can also go to https://www.unclaimedproperty.nj.gov to see if they really do have any property that belongs to you.
They've returned $380 million to people over the last three years.
