Last night my daughter who lives in Omaha called to say she and her dad (my ex) both received letters from someone looking for me to help me retrieve money.

This man named John Pagano of CitiVest Group out of Apopka, FL, said that when I defaulted on "my" home in Flagler Co. FL after the death of my husband, that the property was sold for $30,000 more than it took to pay back taxes and pay off the lending company.

According to this man, since I'm the only legal heir of this money it is mine. He says the money is sitting in Flagler Circuit Court and if it isn't claimed by me, it will be absorbed into their revenue.

He wants to meet with me today referring to himself as a member of a team which has a lawyer and real estate people, who will go to court with all their ducks lined up in a row and retrieve the money for me for 20% of the pot. In other words, there supposedly is $30K sitting there and they would get $6K and I would get the rest.

He says all he needs is a copy of my birth certificate, a death certificate and a photo ID and wants me to sign all this paperwork giving them the right to retrieve it for me or act in my behalf.

He said they, meaning he would mail me a check in around 12-16 weeks. He wants to meet me at Bank of America today at 4:45 after I get off work. He called again and wanted to meet me where I work for lunch, on my lunch break.

I smell a rat! Why can't I just go to the courthouse with the same documentation and retrieve the money if it is truly there and is mine??

Can someone please help me??

Newleaf,

Be sure NOT to give them any money up front. And don't trust a check until it clears the bank. Certified checks and other apparently trustworthy forms of payment are being fraudulently reproduced.

I have also read about people who give someone a fake certified check to deposit then ask for an amount of money for a fee or something back in cash. The person gives them the cash from their account thinking the deposited check will cover it and the person leaves with the cash. By the time the bank discovers the certified check is no good it is too late. The person into whose account the check was deposited is liable for the cash withdrawn and the perpetrator is long gone.

You are right. If the money is there and it is yours, you shouldn't have to pay anyone to get it though you might have to pay a lawyer's ransom to deal with the technicalities.

Maybe you could search for some of those websites that list unclaimed property and see if it is listed there. Also, contacting the court seems obvious.

You might also call Citivest to see if this guy actually represents them and to see if they know anything about the issue.

Good luck.
smile

[ April 21, 2006, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: smilinize ]

Smile,

I called Flagler County Courthouse today and they said they are familiar with these recovery people and they DO recover money for you, but she said there's no reason I can't present the same paperwork and claim the money myself.

She gave me a name and number to call and talk to.

Sounds like an unexpected blessing. And you can save six thousand dollars by doing the paperwork yourself.

Fantastic.

smile

I think you should call the guy and thank him nicely. He just found you $30,000 you didn't know you had. Happy happy day.

Now get down to that courthouse and get yo'money!

I'm speechless, which is a very unusual state for me....

One other thing, I'm still legally married to the a**H***. If he even had the slightest idea about this, he would try to take it away from me.

This is a community property state. If I have that money when we divorce, he will get half.

He gets angry if I even look at the joint account with "his" money in it. He just keeps steadily withdrawing $300, $500, at a time. The savings account is dwindling down.

He gave his daughter who lost her boyfriend Wed. night, a thousand dollars without even consulting me first and wouldn't let me visit my son-in-law at the hospital before he passed away. He was up there several times and I'd say I wanted to go with him to see Marcus. He would say, "Let me see if its safe first. Or Let me go up there first and check things out." I stayed at home and prayed for my step son in law and his family but wasn't welcomed there at the hospital.

Now, what should I do if the money IS there? How can I protect it from my husband??? This is the chance given by God for Aaliyah, Katie and I to have a new life and escape.

I have goose bumps. This is a dream come true. Unbelievable. Please, whatever you do, do not in a moment of weakness thell him! Please don't!

IS there a way you could gift it to your granddaughter? I don't know, but you need to keep this for yourself. He has no right to it. Is there a free legal aid system that could answer this question for you?

I bet a shelter for women probably has a lawyer who could give you counsel.

I'll check. If not, I'm friends with a couple who own and run a real estate school in Daytona and they know a lot about FL law.

If he knew he would do anything to get it, I'm sure.

NewLeaf, Also keep statements of the joint account that you have. That money that he is withdrawing should come out of "his" part of the settlement. Have you legally filed any paperwork? You need to check with a lawyer to get a stake in the ground. I think once you have a legal document, then anything you earn after a particular date is yours. Of course, the same goes for your ex.

Newleaf, you need to look into the divorce laws of the state of Florida. In many states, inheritances are specifically excluded from community property.

If the $30k is an inheritance, it may be yours either way. I'm sure an attorney or possibly legal aid could give you that information.

smile