Hey — you never know!
Approximately $12.5 billion in unclaimed funds is sitting in state coffers waiting to be claimed, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said yesterday.
“The money belongs to New Yorkers. We want to give it back,” said DiNapoli.
Representatives of the comptroller will be hosting events throughout the region this spring to help residents find out if they are owed money.
New Yorkers can check to see if they are entitled to the funds by plugging their names into osc.state.ny.us or calling 800-221-9311.
Most of the money is from old and closed-out bank accounts that have been turned over to the state as “abandoned property” although some also come from various uncashed checks, said DiNapoli spokeswoman Nikki Jones.
While most of the unclaimed funds are in $50 and $100 amounts, one individual — who state workers have been unable to locate — is owed $1.7 million, Jones said.
“On average, we return $1 million a day,” she added.
New Yorkers wanting to attend one of the outreach events can find a schedule at osc.state.ny.us.
