'I found £130 in lost savings account after being sent letter - I thought it was a scam'

When you deliberation of mislaid pensions, your caput typically goes to idiosyncratic a small older than myself, however, astatine 27 years old, I discovered a pension cookware which I had nary thought existed

I'm a idiosyncratic concern writer, truthful erstwhile I was sent a missive telling maine I'd had a mislaid pensions cookware that I knew thing about, I was sceptical that it could beryllium a scam.

In fact, I was truthful convinced, I ignored these letters for 5 years - until I yet decided to analyse and discovered I had £130 successful forgotten savings. When you deliberation of mislaid pensions, your caput typically goes to idiosyncratic a small older than myself - but it's a immense contented that affects millions of radical of each ages.

New investigation by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) - published up of the National Pension Tracing Day contiguous - recovered that astir 3.29million pension pots, worthy successful full astir £31billion, are present considered "lost". As a wealth reporter, I'm good alert of this contented and person really spoken to dozens of radical who discovered immoderate mislaid pots themselves.

Have you precocious tracked down a mislaid pension? Let america know: [email protected]

They usually archer maine however they had moved jobs oregon houses aggregate times passim their life, truthful letters were sent to the incorrect addresses and they simply mislaid way of them. I understood these reasons, though I ever thought I would ne'er find myself successful the aforesaid position.

With things being much digital-focused nowadays, I thought each my pension correspondence would beryllium done my email, truthful each successful 1 place. Alongside this, each and each occupation I had - oregon volition ever person - would beryllium upfront astir their pension scheme, truthful I would ever cognize if I was portion of one.

This month, I received a missive from the pensions supplier Scottish Widows telling maine I had a pension cookware with them. I had, successful fact, been receiving these letters for a small portion present - they'd followed maine with my housemate of 5 years astatine 3 antithetic addresses..

Even though these letters kept arriving, I ignored them arsenic I didn't judge I had a pension with Scottish Widows. When opening the missive you spot a ample orangish header which read: "We request to get successful interaction astir your policy." Underneath, the missive - which was sent to my level - said it had been "trying to contact" maine arsenic I needed to fto them cognize if this was my caller address.

This made maine sceptical, arsenic each pension schemes I was alert of were sent to maine done my email and I'd ne'er received thing from Scottish Widows before. I surely wasn't alert that I'd ever signed up to a pension with them. The missive said it had received my code done "a institution that helps america find customers" by utilizing the electoral registry and recognition notation agencies.

The missive told maine to spell to a website to update my illustration oregon to scan the QR code. But I was wary; arsenic a wealth journalist, I americium alert of the tactics scammers use. The missive besides listed immoderate numbers to telephone to find retired much but I couldn't transverse notation the fig from Scottish Widows website - and erstwhile I called the numbers connected the site, I could ne'er navigate my mode to the close area, arsenic I could not supply a argumentation number.

After sitting connected it for weeks and wanting to halt the implicit discarded of insubstantial that was these letters, I gave the fig connected the missive a go. After yet reaching archetypal successful the queue, I spoke to an advisor and explained my predicament. He confirmed that I did, successful fact, person a Scottish Widows pension. However, helium could not corroborate who the pension was with and however overmuch was successful it.

To get my pension, I would request to update my address, and the affable antheral connected the different extremity of the telephone confirmed that I could bash truthful done Scottish Widow's website and helium would nonstop maine a nexus to this. My effect was: "You tin recognize wherefore I felt this was a scam, due to the fact that what you said sounds similar one, you'll nonstop maine a nexus and I should click connected it and stock my idiosyncratic details."

His effect was: "No I tin wholly perceive it, but I committedness you, this isn't a scam. Once you update the address, we tin nonstop you the argumentation you person with us, and you volition beryllium capable to log into your Scottish Widows relationship then."

The Scottish Widows advisor told maine the day the pension cookware was made and allowed maine to database a fewer of my aged employers to effort and constrictive it down. Sadly, I wasn't successful, truthful I bowed down to the interior pressure. Firstly, due to the fact that I wanted the letters to stop, and secondly if it was legit, I wanted to cognize however overmuch was successful this pot.

After doing what I was told, 8 days went by, and I heard nothing. Had I conscionable fixed distant my code to a scammer? On the tenth day, a chunky missive arrived astatine my flat, and the enigma was yet solved. It told maine everything: who acceptable it up, however overmuch the institution and I had contributed, and however overmuch I had successful it.

In total, £91.65 was contributed successful 2019 erstwhile I took connected a casual bartending gig astatine a tiny theatre successful London and arsenic of October 2024, I had a full of £128.89 sitting successful there. Unless I determination this cookware with my different pensions, I volition beryllium allowed to yet entree my £130 savings erstwhile I scope 55 - I'm 27 now, truthful successful 28 years time.

Now, I'm not saying you should spot each letters telling you you person immoderate "lost" wealth somewhere. However, mislaid pensions are a thing, and with auto-enrolment for workplace pension schemes, determination is simply a accidental that you whitethorn person a tiny cookware sat retired determination that you whitethorn not beryllium alert of.

For me, it was from a casual zero-hours declaration occupation I picked up, which I didn't deliberation needed to springiness maine one. So this Pension Tracing Day mightiness beryllium worthy person a deliberation - and perchance a look to spot if you person thing retired there. You ne'er know, my status money has present been bolstered by a whopping £130 truthful older Ruby tin convey maine for that.

How to way down a mislaid pension pot

To way down aged pension pots, the archetypal happening you request to bash is interaction ex-employers and excavation retired aged paperwork. However, if this isn't possible, past the Government has a escaped Pension Tracing Service instrumentality to way down mislaid pensions connected its website.

It is simply a escaped work which searches a database of much than 300,000 workplace and idiosyncratic pension schemes. To usage it, you volition request the sanction of an leader oregon a pension provider. If you find an aged pension cookware past the work provides interaction details for pension schemes tally by employers, arsenic good arsenic for backstage schemes organised by pension providers.

You volition lone beryllium capable to get the details of your pension savings erstwhile a pension steadfast has established you are who you accidental you are, and that you person a pension cookware with them. The work volition not archer you however overmuch you person successful this peculiar pension pot, you volition request to interaction the pension head yourself to find retired if you person immoderate wealth with them. You tin usage the Pension Tracing Service done the GOV.UK website here. You tin besides telephone them connected 0800 731 019.