'You made a difference': ABC11's Troubleshooter story on unclaimed money brings 'torrent' of claims

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- On Jan. 5, 2023, ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson featured a business owner who asked for help getting his money after he filed a claim with the North Carolina's unclaimed funds.

Friday, the NC Treasurer's office sent her this email on the responses for claims after her story aired and was posted on abc11.com. It reads in part:

"Your segment on the man who was having a difficult time getting his final $15,000 returned from NCCash.com triggered a torrent of claims being filed. Our count of people filing claims for money was up between 2,000 and 3,000 above normal after your story ran. You made a difference, and we always appreciate the coverage."

What you should know about NC Unclaimed Funds

North Carolina has more than $1 billion waiting to be claimed. It's money that could belong to you.

Unclaimed money sits in the state's Unclaimed Property Division's account until its rightful owner claims it via the required documents.

Claims are processed in the order they are received. Normal processing time is approximately 90 days, the website states.

Once your claim is assigned to a processor, they will contact you if any additional information or documents are needed.

You will be notified via email if/when your claim is approved for payment.

You may check the progress of your claim by clicking on the "Claim Status"

Do you have unclaimed cash in North Carolina?

To see whether you have unclaimed funds waiting for you, check your name here.

It's key to remember you don't have to pay to get this money, it's FREE.

If you are asked to pay, you're not on the state of NC website.

Search unclaimed money in all 50 states

Remember: To search and claim the money is FREE. If someone attempts to charge you, you're not on the state's site.

ABC11 Troubleshooter helps NC man claim $15,000

The man featured in the story, Juan Chambers, said he lost track of several checks during his move. Despite losing the actual checks, he had copies of the lost checks.

"I went to the bank and asked them about it and then the bank said, 'well, we sent it to state."

The bank sent the money to the state because the North Carolina Treasurer's office has an unclaimed fund department, where money is turned over by a company that did business with someone in the state. When that company can no longer contact the person, by law, they were required to send the money to the state treasurer for safekeeping.

The Troubleshooter helped Chambers get $15,000 that was waiting in North Carolina's unclaimed funds account.

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More than one billion dollars are waiting to be claimed in North Carolina and it's cash that could belong to you. This money sits in the state's unclaimed fund account until its rightful owner claims it.