Consumer Alert: Does New York state have your unclaimed funds? Here’s how to get your money!

Need some extra cash? Don’t we all? You could have some sitting in a state account just waiting for you to claim it. The state’s unclaimed funds account currently has $18.4 billion in it.

And some of that money is mine. In fact, I found money that belongs to me, my mom, my daddy, and News10 NBC! That’s right!! When I searched WHEC, I found that our station has money from Google in that account that we never claimed. In fact, one out of ten people will find unclaimed funds for themselves or someone they know.

Your money ends up in the unclaimed funds account when, for example, you overpay a bill, you abandoned a bank account, you were mailed a check you didn’t cash, or perhaps you moved and the check went back to the sender. Right now, $94.3 million in the unclaimed funds account belongs to Rochesterians. During the last fiscal year, Flower City residents claimed more than $2.7 million. Here are some other interesting facts:

• There’s one person in Rochester who has more than $500,000 in unclaimed funds.
• 138 people have $50,000.
• 1,191 Rochesterians have $10,000 in unclaimed funds.

“So you go to the website and we have the option for you to search for individuals or search for organizations,” said Kelly Kuracina, bureau director of the New York Office of Unclaimed Funds. “We recently added a new feature to the website where you can do an advanced search.”

The advanced search allows you to search variations of your name, abbreviations, and even common misspellings. Once you find your money, you then have to submit documentation that proves your identity and proof of address. Sometimes additional verification is needed, and the state will ask you to submit it.

It’s important to note that your unclaimed money stays in the fund indefinitely. So, if you don’t claim it your heirs can. Click here to search for your unclaimed funds.