Robert and Agnes Esposito of Kennedy were told their names were on the unclaimed property list maintained by the state Treasury Department.

There was talk they were entitled to $176,000.

But there was a hitch when they checked out a Web site that purported to help people reclaim property.

"They wanted $25 to provide us with more information," said Mrs. Esposito, 73, who owned and operated a paper recycling business with her 73-year-old husband. "We were wondering if this is legit because they say if you have to pay for information it's usually a scam.

"Besides, if we had $176,000, we wouldn't have forgotten about it," she said with a laugh. "I'm very leery about things like that. You hear so much about people getting scammed these days."

She's correct.

Pennsylvania Treasurer Robin L. Wiessmann reminded consumers that her department will help consumers recover any unclaimed property -- for free.

"If you are asked to pay a fee to recover your unclaimed property, I urge you to instead contact [the treasury department] where one of our claims representatives will assist you free of charge," she said in a news release posted on the department's Web site.

"We will never charge a fee to return your money or property to you," she said. "We help you claim what is yours."

Ms. Wiessmann said her department receives -- each year -- millions of dollars in unclaimed property from abandoned checking and savings accounts, forgotten stocks, dividends, checks that have not been cashed, certificates of deposits, life insurance policies, safe deposit boxes and other sources. It maintains custody until the money is returned to its rightful owners.

She said the department returned almost $88.8 million in unclaimed property to approximately 63,000 owners last year. It currently is looking for the owners of more than $1 billion in unclaimed property.

Ms. Wiessmann said consumers can prevent their property from becoming unclaimed by keeping accurate records of bank accounts, stocks, safe deposit boxes, life insurance policies and other financial matters. Stay in touch -- in writing -- at least once every three years with all financial institutions holding checking and savings accounts, CDs and IRAs.

She also advised consumers to disclose the location of their financial records to a family member or trusted adviser.

To see if you or a family member have unclaimed property, go to www.patreasury.org, click on Search the Database heading on the left side of the home page and enter your name into the appropriate boxes.

You also can call the toll-free hot line -- 1-800-222-2046 -- on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. There is no time limit to claim your property.

Mrs. Esposito said her daughter, Lisa Macek, went online, checked the department's Web site and discovered her parents were entitled to some money.

"It's only a few hundred dollars, but we'll be happy to get it," Mrs. Esposito said.

Communication problem

Milton Levine, of Mt. Lebanon, went online last month to reserve two seats for himself and his son David to fly to New York on USAirways. He used a credit card to pay $259 for each ticket. When he received his credit card bill, it listed the New York trip -- twice.

He called USAirways. He said the phone was answered by someone in the Philippines. There was a communication problem. "I couldn't understand her; she couldn't understand me."

Mr. Levine, 85, a retired insurance executive, called again. Same problem. He called again and asked for a supervisor. Same problem. "I couldn't make any headway with anyone in Manila," he said.

He drove to Pittsburgh International Airport and went to a USAirways counter. He said the person on duty helped him straighten everything out.

His advice to consumers: "Check your billing statement every month."