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Payne Richards & Associates Reviews, Complaints & Contacts

Payne Richards & Associates is an unclaimed property finder based in Bakersfield, California: it contacts people who may have money held by a state and charges a fee to help claim it. The Indiana Attorney General names the operator as U.S. Claims Services Inc., doing business as Payne Richards and Associates, and in January 2026 announced a settlement of the state's allegations about the company's solicitations and fee agreements. The company is BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and BBB shows 29 complaints in the last three years. Every state runs a free search and claim process for unclaimed funds, so a finder is not needed to claim money a state holds.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS1on USAComplaints · none in last 3 yrs · latest 2013
PHONE(661) 399-1108Phone
WEBSITEprclaims.com
HEADQUARTERSBakersfield, CA
PROFILE CHECKED2026-11-02
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Call (661) 399-1108 Official website ↗

Contacts

PhoneEmailAddress

Fax & written correspondence

  • Listed by BBBFax(661) 399-1201

Privacy requests

Other contacts

VERIFIED

Locations

  • Headquarters3651 Pegasus Dr Ste 101 Bakersfield CA 93308-6836
EDITORIAL

Is Payne Richards & Associates Legitimate?

BBB, ComplaintsBoard

Legal name
U.S. Claims Services Inc.
Founded
2002
Business type
Fee-based unclaimed property finder
Website
prclaims.comSource: Payne Richards and Associates website, checked 2026-11-02
Headquarters
Bakersfield, CASource: Better Business Bureau profile, checked 2026-11-02

Operator. U.S. Claims Services Inc., doing business as Payne Richards and Associates, according to the Indiana Attorney General.

BBB. Accredited since April 2017, A+ rating; BBB gives 2002 as the business start and 2018 as the year of incorporation.

Registration. Listed among North Carolina's Registered Property Finders in the list updated January 28, 2026.

Enforcement. Indiana Attorney General settlement announced in January 2026, described in the regulator section.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

BBBcomplaint count covers the last 3 years
176 reviews · 29 complaints · BBB business grade A+ · average customer rating 4.44 / 5
ComplaintsBoardReviews and complaints in total
14 reviews · 4 reports · average customer rating 2.8 / 5
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 1 historical complaint about Payne Richards & Associates, published in 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources on this page.

EDITORIAL

What reviewers and complainants say

1 published complaint report is linked to this profile.

Better Business Bureau. BBB shows 29 complaints about the company in the last three years, 7 of them in the last 12 months, and 176 customer reviews with an average of 4.44 out of 5. The business holds an A+ BBB rating and is BBB accredited.

ComplaintsBoard. On ComplaintsBoard, another consumer complaint website, the company has 14 reviews and 4 complaints and a 2.8 rating; seven of the reviews are 5-star and seven are 1-star. One of the four complaints is marked resolved. The negative posts there object to paying a finder's fee for money the writers say they could have claimed free from the state, describe invoices that kept coming after a writer filed a claim on their own, and mention calls that went unanswered and months of waiting for a check. Positive reviewers say they recovered money they did not know about at a fee they found reasonable, and some say state processing time, not the company, caused delays. In the complaint marked resolved, a user alleged that the company had withdrawn state-held funds without permission; the company replied that it has never possessed the funds, that the claim was still available to collect, and that the claimant could file independently. These are opinions and allegations of that site's users, not findings.

Had an experience with Payne Richards & Associates? Tell other people what happened.

Submit a Complaint
EDITORIAL

Payne Richards letter or fee: how to claim the money yourself and who to contact

What the company does. Payne Richards & Associates is a "finder": a business that locates people who have unclaimed property held by a state and offers, for a fee, to help them claim it.

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The Indiana Attorney General's office describes it as a California-based finder company; BBB lists it in Bakersfield. Its website, prclaims.com, calls its work "Helping People retrieve what belongs to them."

You can claim directly. The FTC says: "Every state has a process to search for unclaimed funds— for free," and points to unclaimed.org/search to find a state's unclaimed property office.

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You do not need a finder to claim. Indiana's Attorney General says the same for Indiana: residents can search IndianaUnclaimed.gov for free, text CLAIM to 46220, call 1-866-462-5246, or email [email protected].

Before you sign anything.

  • Find the holder and the amount on your state's official unclaimed property site and compare it with the letter.
  • Read the fee clause in the agreement: the percentage, whether it applies to the whole amount, and what happens if you have already filed or file yourself.
  • Ask who will receive the state's check. In Indiana, the Attorney General alleged that a Payne Richards solicitation described the property as held by "a third-party escrow agent" when the state holds it (see the regulator section).
  • If you already signed and want to cancel or dispute a fee, write to the company, quote the fee clause of your agreement, say what you want (cancellation, a corrected invoice or a refund) and keep a copy.
  • If you paid by credit card and believe the charge is a billing error, for example a fee for a service that was not provided as agreed, write to your card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge was sent to you. That is the Fair Credit Billing Act deadline; the issuer decides whether the dispute qualifies. The Act covers credit cards, not checks or debit cards.

Contacting the company. BBB lists the phone number (661) 399-1108 and the fax number (661) 399-1201. The prclaims.com Terms and Privacy Policy give [email protected] for help with text messages; to stop texts, reply STOP. Neither document lists a street address, a phone number or a fee schedule. For letters, BBB lists the address 3651 Pegasus Dr, Suite 101, Bakersfield, California 93308.

Where to complain.

  • The Better Business Bureau, where the company is accredited: bbb.org/file-a-complaint.
  • Your state attorney general's consumer protection office; USA.gov lists them at usa.gov/state-attorney-general.
  • The California Attorney General, because the company is based in California: oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company.
  • The unclaimed property office of the state that holds the funds (in Indiana, the Attorney General's Unclaimed Property Division).
  • The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
EDITORIAL

Indiana Attorney General settlement and North Carolina finder registration

Indiana (January 2026). On January 21, 2026, the Indiana Attorney General's office announced that U.S. Claims Services Inc., doing business as Payne Richards and Associates, would pay $107,000 to resolve allegations about its solicitations and fee agreements (the headline rounds the figure; the refund amount in the release is $107,874.67). The office alleged that the company's solicitations stated consumers' unclaimed property was held by "a third-party escrow agent" when the Attorney General's Unclaimed Property Division holds it, and that its fee agreements lacked language Indiana law requires, telling consumers they can file a claim with the Attorney General's office at no charge. These are the state's allegations.

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Settlement terms as announced. The company is to refund $107,874.67 in fees collected from 435 consumers; the money goes to the Attorney General's office, which sends the checks. The company must also correct its solicitations and add the required notice to its fee agreements. Attorney General Todd Rokita said: "While finder companies are allowed to offer paid services, we are committed to ensuring they follow the law." He also reminded Indiana residents that searching IndianaUnclaimed.gov themselves is free.

North Carolina. The North Carolina Unclaimed Property Division's list of Registered Property Finders (updated January 28, 2026) includes Payne Richards & Associates, with registered North Carolina private investigators named beside it. The list states: "This listing is not an endorsement of the use of, or the services of any of the listed businesses." The Division's finder page says finders must register annually and, since January 1, 2022, must also be licensed by the North Carolina Private Protective Services Board as private investigators.

EDITORIAL

Who operates Payne Richards & Associates

The Indiana Attorney General's release names the business as U.S. Claims Services Inc., doing business as Payne Richards and Associates, and describes it as a California-based finder company. The company's website, prclaims.com, uses the names Payne Richards & Associates and PR Claims and describes its work as "Helping People retrieve what belongs to them."

The Better Business Bureau profile for Payne Richards & Associates in Bakersfield, California, describes a corporation, gives 2002 as the business start and 2018 as the year of incorporation, and shows BBB accreditation since April 2017. BBB lists the address 3651 Pegasus Dr, Suite 101, Bakersfield, California 93308. The BBB profile also says the company owns Joseph Richards & Associates, My Money Monitor and Commercial Construction & Maintenance Inc.

More company historyShow less

A finder does not hold the unclaimed property: the state does. The finder contacts the owner and, under a signed agreement, prepares and submits the claim in return for a fee, usually a percentage of the amount recovered. Fee limits and agreement rules are set by each state.

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Payne Richards & Associates?

It is a fee-based unclaimed property finder in Bakersfield, California: it writes to people whose money is held by a state and offers to file the claim for a fee. The Indiana Attorney General's release names the business as U.S. Claims Services Inc., doing business as Payne Richards and Associates. It is BBB accredited.

Can I claim unclaimed money without paying a finder?

Every state has a process to search for unclaimed funds for free, according to the FTC. Find your state's office at unclaimed.org/search.

What did the Indiana Attorney General say about Payne Richards?

In January 2026 the office alleged that the company's solicitations said property was held by "a third-party escrow agent" when the state holds it, and that its fee agreements omitted the notice, required by Indiana law, that consumers can claim free from the Attorney General's office. Under the settlement the company is to refund $107,874.67 in fees collected from 435 consumers, paid through the Attorney General's office, and to correct its solicitations and agreements.

How do I stop text messages from Payne Richards & Associates?

Its Terms and Privacy Policy say to reply STOP to any message; for help, reply HELP or write to [email protected].

What is the Payne Richards phone number and address?

BBB lists the phone number (661) 399-1108 and the fax number (661) 399-1201 for the Bakersfield, California business, and the address 3651 Pegasus Dr, Suite 101, Bakersfield, CA 93308. The company's Terms and Privacy Policy on prclaims.com give only the email [email protected].

Is Payne Richards registered as a property finder?

North Carolina's list of Registered Property Finders, updated January 28, 2026, includes Payne Richards & Associates. The list says it is not an endorsement of any listed business.

How do I dispute a Payne Richards fee?

Start in writing with the company, quoting the fee clause of your agreement and saying what you want corrected. If you paid by credit card and the charge is a billing error, such as a fee for a service not provided as agreed, write to your card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge was sent; the issuer decides whether the dispute qualifies. If the company does not resolve it, file a complaint with the BBB, your state attorney general's consumer protection office and the unclaimed property office of the state that holds the funds, and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.