Indiana Attorney General’s office briefs Vigo County commissioners on unclaimed property and consumer fraud protections

Christy Mayer, a representative of the Office of the Indiana Attorney General, gave commissioners an overview of the office’s work, including unclaimed property, consumer protection and fraud enforcement.

"The office of attorney general Todd Rokita is Indiana's official law firm," Mayer said, and she outlined several divisions and programs. She told commissioners the appeals division is involved in more than 2,000 appeals a year; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has recovered more than $85,000,000 in misappropriated funds; and the consumer protection division has obtained more than $1 billion in settlements. On unclaimed property, Mayer said the office reconnects Hoosiers with "over a million dollars every single week." She encouraged residents to check the attorney general’s website at in.gov/attorneygeneral and the unclaimed property site at IndianaUnclaimed.gov, and she provided informational cards and a QR code for the service.

After the presentation a commissioner asked whether there are current scams or frauds affecting consumers; Mayer warned that many schemes use personal relationships or urgency to pressure people to share personal data. "Don't give out any of your numbers. Your birthday, your credit card numbers, your bank account numbers, none of don't give any of your numbers out unless you verified that you know who you're speaking with and, and their source," she said. Mayer also shared a local detail: her 19-year-old daughter had $95 returned via the unclaimed property system.

There was no formal action tied to the presentation; commissioners thanked Mayer and moved on to other items. Mayer identified the two websites and distributed informational cards to attendees during her remarks.