
Sergey Brin, Please Pick up your Paychecks - octonion
http://angrystatistician.blogspot.com/2013/02/sergey-brin-please-pick-up-your.html
======
jconley
I wrote most of this app on a contract nearly 10 years ago. We used it as a
mentorship exercise to train state worker programmers in the SCO department on
the (then new) ASP.NET Framework and SQL Server 2000. The DBA was familiar
with Oracle and mainframes, but not SQL Server. It was written in ASP.NET 1.1
and used SQL Server 2000. From what I can tell it hasn't changed much at all.

"Programmer and database types will notice one problem immediately - no fuzzy
string matching."

Yeah, I really wanted to implement that. The problem was we had to use
Microsoft SQL Server and no third party database/indexing systems. SQL
Server's Full Text Indexing run took too long during the nightly import job on
year 2000 commodity hardware. We also had to do all of this within the
constraints of training state workers and handing off something they could
actually maintain.

Ah, the joys of state contracting.

~~~
ratsbane
It is really nice to have the original author show up and comment on something
like this.

After looking at this site I started thinking about ways of crawling the whole
database. The 500-record limit would make an alphabet tree crawl a bit more
challenging but not too bad. Do you think the state agency would be amenable
to requests for bulk download?

[edit] just saw your post which answered most of my questions while I was
typing them.

------
numair
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=5460540)

[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-03-08/news/020308001...](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-03-08/news/0203080017_1_web-
sites-recording-academy-music-files)

Ahhh, memories! Almost worth leaving the money unclaimed.

~~~
octonion
My new employer was owed nearly $23000. Hopefully that gains me some good
karma.

------
danboarder
I have lived in several states including CA and found four claims for myself
in the CA system due to forgotten accounts from prior addresses, here are a
few that might be typical examples of what is being held in this program:

1\. Pacific Bell Telephone Company $72.24

2\. Verisign (SSL or domain payments) $73.50

3\. 20 shares of TravelZoo stock ~$400.00 value?

That TravelZoo stock was from back in the crazy/genius dotcom days when they
gave out free stock for email referrals and sign ups. :) They did something
right since they are still in business.

I do appreciate this program as these were my oversight/losses, things I had
forgotten. However the process to place claims is a bit of a hassle: I need to
physically print out forms, include copies of ID, etc. I'll write up a blog
post of the process of claiming it when it's all said and done.

~~~
JumpCrisscross
I cannot believe the "SEC has not asserted any violation of law by Travelzoo"
for "the first offering of 'free shares' over the Internet" [1]. Technically,
only a registered broker-dealer agent is allowed to transact shares, and never
at a price unrelated to the market.

[1]
[http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1133311/0000950138010...](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1133311/000095013801000034/0000950138-01-000034-0007.pdf)

------
tokenadult
A very interesting blog post. The key idea is here: "Programmer and database
types will notice one problem immediately - no fuzzy string matching. If your
name or address was misspelled on the assets, or munged in the recording
process, tracking down any assets belonging to you could become a difficult to
impossible process. Given that this database has at most 18 million rows,
there's no excuse for such a basic (and important) feature to be missing." A
lot of government databases could improve usability enormously by implementing
that suggestion.

------
glaugh
When I was in college I spent a summer going through Alaska's database (it was
downloadable), cross referencing with a people search engine, and then mailing
letters to people to tell them that they had missing money and how to claim it
(and asking for a 5% cut). Made a decent summer's wage. Pretty sure I could
have made a ton more money but it was pretty boring work so I just focused on
school and more professional internships after that.

Still, an opportunity for someone feeling entrepreneurial out there.

~~~
Matt_Mickiewicz
Only 5%? That's cheap... you should have taken the fee model from collection
agencies, and taken 20%+.

~~~
CaveTech
Except for the fact that the receiver is getting a letter in the mail from
someone they've never met informing them that they are owed money. Pretty much
screams scam, even though it isn't in this instance.

------
octonion
I'm guessing this person doesn't want the money back:
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=19287386)

~~~
frogpelt
And you found that how?

~~~
chris_mahan
might be related to
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=19287382)

------
gojomo
A "Steven [P] Jobs", of Palo Alto and Woodside, has a bunch of small
insurance, share, and dividend amounts due, including for example:

[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/NoticeDetails.aspx?propertyRecI...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/NoticeDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=180364)

I suppose Oracle Shareowner Services has had a hard time reaching this
reclusive character since their last reported contact date of "10/2/2008".

~~~
10dpd
The address, 2101 WAVERLY ST PALO ALTO, does indeed confirm this is the late
Steve Jobs.

~~~
octonion
Linus Torvalds is owed about $250, e.g.
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=9787749)

~~~
meritt
I live by Linus, want me to walk over there and let him know?

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salgernon
I really have no idea why my cat is owed $5.98 by Ace Hardware:

[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=23168305)

The address they have is correct.

------
Mithrandir
Apparently, Barack Obama has $250 in unclaimed cashier's checks from First
Republic Bank:
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=22491183)

Also, looks like Woz hasn't claimed his $5.61 from Apple yet:
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=6139496)

Edit: Related to an article posted earlier about John Draper/Cap'n Crunch,
looks like he has some property to claim too:

[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=18967064)

[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=10016961)

Edit 2: Hmm, looks like Jesus Christ has some unclaimed property too:
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=22644738),
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=20802355),
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=7485039)

So I guess some of this is people using fake names.

------
ComputerGuru
Is it just me, or is it really creepy that anyone can dig up this sort of info
about your income/pension/insurance/etc?

Illinois' search is no better, but it does not display dollar amount details:
<https://icash.illinois.gov/>

~~~
redegg
Property tax searches are a great way to DOX someone, btw.

~~~
robinh
DOX?

~~~
mrfairladyz
To find and release publicly personal information about someone -- name,
address, phone number, and even SSN and credit card numbers -- in such away
that they become identifiable to just about anyone online.

This was a hot topic a few months back when reddit had to deal with it:
[http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/10/truth-lies-doxxing-
inte...](http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/10/truth-lies-doxxing-internet-
vigilanteism/)

~~~
rmc
Doxing is one of the forms of protected free speech that reddit bans.

~~~
pc86
Protected speech?

~~~
ahi
It's not actually illegal in the United States. As opposed to child porn that
does not have 1st amendment protections.

~~~
rmc
It would not be legal (in general) in EU. Data Protection etc.

Yes, child porn is banned on reddit. But things that are protected free
speech, but not child porn ("sexually suggestive images of minors") are also
banned on reddit.

------
sailfast
A couple of states seemed to have outsourced this (Ohio, most notably) to
another site - missingmoney.com. When searching for first and last names it
returned likely matches as well, so perhaps they've implemented some fuzzy
string matching along the way that will help citizens find what's owed.

Side note: As a result of this article I found >100 bucks owed to family
members which will be a great boon to them. Thanks for posting.

------
floaters
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=13165179)

I bet this guy made keyboards.

------
saundby
My nephew has $0.26 coming to him. I wonder if he'll track down a notary for
the form that will charge less. Next question is: drive in the form or mail
it? ;)

------
javanix
Haha, Mark Zuckerberg (and Randi too) have a couple on there as well.

------
jeremycole
Yahoo and Google are both owed pretty large amounts, e.g.:

[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=23031627)

[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=22521713)

------
octonion
I just found someone who has over $50000 coming to them. Unusual name, so they
were easy to locate on LinkedIn and Facebook.

------
slashclee
I wonder what kinds of safeguards they have in place to prevent people with
the same name from claiming each other's things.

~~~
jyap
You need to enter in your SSN/Tax ID/FEIN.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Well are their fake SSNs or other ID numbers because I'd doubt that Ms. Asdf
Asdf (of CA 90210) has a genuine government ID number,
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=13165179).

 _Could_ you just claim that against your own ID?

------
suyash
@Author: Thanks buddy, I didn't find anything for myself but some of my family
members need to collect their check :)

------
CodeCube
Hah, I looked up the Florida equivalent of this unclaimed property
lookup/site, and it's humorously located at <https://www.fltreasurehunt.org>

Looks like I had some unclaimed cash in lieu of shares from a previous
employer. Claimed!

~~~
shawndumas
that site seems sketchy as all get out...

~~~
CodeCube
Yeah, I agree it looks that way ... I thought it was a scammy site at first,
but you can find it referenced on other sites (<http://www.fltreasury.org/>),
and even in the local media as legit (ie.
[http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-07-11/news/03071003...](http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-07-11/news/0307100370_1_sharon-
richardson-dear-greg-whirlpool)). So unless this is a really well orchestrated
scam, it's real as far as I can tell.

------
citricsquid
Are there any companies that will monitor states unclaimed property and
retrieve it for a commission?

~~~
peter_tonoli
I had a small amount of money in a bank account that I found in the Australian
version; not long after I claimed it, I received a letter from 2 solicitors
saying that I had unclaimed money (although they wouldn't say where from) that
they could help me retrieve for a fee.

------
peter_tonoli
The Australian version - [https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/tools-and-
resources/find-uncla...](https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/tools-and-
resources/find-unclaimed-money/unclaimed-money-search)

------
petercooper
Maybe they could enact a law that allows them to take ownership of unclaimed
property after a certain amount of time? It seems to work that way for
abandoned storage units, lost property at airports, etc.

~~~
starnixgod
California does have escheat[1] laws which deal with unclaimed property and
how the state handles situations where no rightful owner comes forward to
claim.[2]

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escheat>

[2] [http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-
bin/displaycode?section=ccp...](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-
bin/displaycode?section=ccp&group=01001-02000&file=1300-1301)

------
akvlad
New York state has $12 Billion in unclaimed money! None of it belongs to me
though. <http://www.osc.state.ny.us/ouf/index.htm>

------
znowi
Arnie has yet to claim $0.15
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=19234458)

~~~
octonion
Netzero owes OJ Simpson $10:
[http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRe...](http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyRecID=22965850)

------
suyash
For the State of Michigan:
[http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,1607,7-121-44435_57506---...](http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,1607,7-121-44435_57506---,00.html)

------
RileyJames
There are plenty of businesses out there that find money for people on
commission. I just always thought they were some sort of dodge, sounds like
there is some merit to it.

------
octonion
The results of mining the first 3.5 million records -
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5255962>

------
DrJ
@_@ I just found a check for my self from a former employer.

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jeremyarussell
Ha, 99 stores owes me 39 dollars. I'd rather them send it to the red cross or
something. I wasn't even expecting there to be anything either. _shrugs_

------
tricolon
This might be a goldmine for genealogical research...

------
lbraasch
Heh. $24 from a Washington Mutual free checking account. Surely would have
paid that in fees had I agreed to become a Chase member.

------
jack-r-abbit
I have $0.11 to claim. But since I would have to mail the signed documents in,
at a cost of $0.45, I think I'll just let it go. :)

------
octonion
The state of California is holding over $6 billion in unclaimed property. The
search engine doesn't even do fuzzy string matching.

~~~
ineedtosleep
Also note that:

    
    
        Due to the large volume of claims we receive and process,
        it may take up to 180 days to process your claim.

~~~
octonion
Wow, that's insane. Spending $50m/year to notify people and process these
claims could easily be justified given the sheer size of the assets being
held.

~~~
gojomo
Much of it will never be claimed (no matter how much effort is exerted). What
is your reasoning for why that much expense would be justified?

The average per potential claimant ($6B / 17.6MM) is only about $340.

------
octonion
I'm scraping the entire database. The largest amount I've found so far is
$1.4m - I've sent her a message on Facebook.

------
niggler
State of New York search: <https://ouf.osc.state.ny.us/>

~~~
DrJ
seems to be down/

------
rug
No joke I just found 100 bucks, thanks!

------
kingnothing
I skimmed a few other states for relatives and found several hundred dollars.
Thanks!

------
Kartificial
Funny, just found out that distant family overseas is owed over $1000, not bad
:)

------
imrehg
Haha, found $7.66 for a friend on the first search. :)

------
edouard1234567
Surprised this is the #1 story on HN...

~~~
James_Duval
There's a lot of data in there. Some of it is going to be interesting. Some
might even be useful!

------
outside1234
I'm owed $60! First round's on me.

