Fund recovery companies

1

So, I recently got a letter from a company called “GOVRECOVER”. They claim I am entitled to receive money back from my university due to an over payment. It appears to be from about 10yrs ago & the amount stated is about $3100. I looked into this company and they seem legit. Trusted Pilot has all kind of great reviews of people saying they are great and they got their money. I called the number on the letter and spoke to rep. He was nice and no major red flags (yet). They even stated I don’t have to give my SS number if I don’t want to. If I don’t, it would just take a little longer (& I am OK with this). No upfront fees either and basically he stated they would then take a 25% cut AFTER I get paid. I’m assuming when the money is ready to be distributed, they would get their $775

After researching a bit, I am seeing how some are saying I should maybe just go through the government on my own. I’m willing to try and do this, but who exactly would I contact about getting this process going? Or any other advice on how to recover these funds myself to possibly avoid the 25% fee?

3

I would be suspicious with the claim of not having to give your SS number. Try simple things to recover the money yourself. If you have not yet done so, check with your university’s financial office. If you perhaps overpaid your federal student aid amount, check your StudentAid.gov account dashboard for any alerts.
FYI unrelated to universities: there is a good article on Clark’s website on how to find various other sources of missing money including from retirement plans, bank accounts, etc. https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/finding-and-claiming-missing-money-easy/#unclaimedmoney

4

Search for your unclaimed property (it’s free) – National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA)