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PHOENIX (KSAZ) - With the holidays right around the corner, some believe it would be nice to have a few extra bucks in their wallet. For some, money could be owed to them, without them even knowing about it.
It is estimated that one in 10 Americans have some sort of unclaimed money floating out there. In Arizona, the Arizona Department of Revenue currently has $80 million that could belong to someone.
This is called "unclaimed money": money from old paychecks, tax returns, credit balances or returned deposits, that for one reason or another never made it to the intended person. Unclaimed money could also be from a family member who passed passed away. That money is then turned over to the Arizona Department of Revenue for safekeeping, until somebody claims it.
"Each year, we return millions of dollars to the rightful owners. Many of these people are unaware they're entitled to these funds," said Ed Greenberg, a department spokesperson. Greenberg said in 2016 alone, the department returned $55 million to their rightful owners.
"Everything from a dollar, up to $2 million in one case," said Greenberg. "So it's a lot of money, and we take it very seriously."
A simple search on missingmoney.com, a website that Arizona and 39 other states work with, can tell a person if they are owed anything.
Missing Money
https://www.missingmoney.com/