Utah recovers $3.5 million in lost cash – here’s how to see if any belongs to you

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Nearly $3.5 Million in uncashed checks has been recovered for the State of Utah following a settlement with Delaware over money from international money transfer company MoneyGram.

The money comes from unclaimed official checks issued by MoneyGram. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said Americans across the nation had official MoneyGram checks not claimed for various reasons. These checks were then reported to and held by the State of Delaware, where MoneyGram is headquartered, but never sent to the intended recipient.

Following a lawsuit with Utah as part of a 30-state coalition to recover the damages of an unclaimed property dispute, a large portion of that money will now be released. Overall more than $190 million will be returned from Delaware to other states with nearly $3.5 million headed to Utah.

“Thanks to the skilled attorneys within our office and other states, Utah citizens will now have access to claim what is rightfully theirs,” said Reyes. Utah Treasurer Marlo Oaks agreed by adding that Utahns are the ultimate winners as a result of the settlement.

The State of Utah will assume custody and the responsibility to return the lost money in the settlement.

“Our team works hard to reunite lost money with its rightful owner, including employing aggressive outreach campaigns, leveraging advanced technology, and partnering with charities, local government leaders, and the news media,” said Oaks.

How to see if you can claim lost money

Oaks encouraged Utahns to visit mycash.utah.gov and search their name for any unclaimed property, including any of the $3.5 million just recovered.

Even if you may not have a claim to the recently recovered checks from MoneyGram, you may have lost money from other cases the state can help you recover. Oaks recommended using the MyCash Utah website at least once a year for lost property.

Filing a claim is as simple as searching for your first and last name on the website. Once you find some lost property that may belong to you, click “claim” and enter in your information. After you submit your claim, you’ll be provided a confirmation claim number that you can use to track your claim.

Each unclaimed property claim does require some identification. The exact requirements for each claim will be emailed to you and instructions on how to submit your identification will be provided.

According to the Unclaimed Property Division, more than $450 million in lost property has been returned to its rightful owners.

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