Don't Waste Your Money | How to find unclaimed funds | Business

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- States are holding onto billions of dollars of unclaimed money.

Consumer reporter John Matarese sat down with some people at lunch time and had them search their names. They found money that's owed to them.

The money is waiting in state treasuries waiting to be claimed. Most people have some unclaimed funds somewhere.

People can search on MissingMoney.com to see what they are owed and how to collect it. States partnered with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) to provide the free, safe and secure site to the public.

The money could be security deposits, stock dividends, inheritance or refund from a cell phone company. The average claim is close to $4,000, according to Akil Hardy with Ohio Department of Commerce.

"We get people who are pretty confident that they know where their funds are, and there's a good chance that they do know where exactly where everything is. And I was one of those individuals," Hardy said. "And then I came, I came to the Department of Commerce, commerce, to work under a different capacity, and found out that I actually have unclaimed fund from my last check from a previous employer."

People will have to give their social security number to claim the money.

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