Does the state owe you money that you didn’t even know about?
That’s the question being asked by stations around the country this month. It’s a tantalizing set-up: the state treasury has millions of dollars in unclaimed cash and property and it could be yours with a few mouse clicks.
Stations in New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Missouri, Virginia, Oregon, North Carolina, and South Carolina have all used the story to drum up ratings during the current sweeps period and increase traffic to their websites.
“Do you have bills hanging over your head? Maybe your home needs repair, or you’d just like a vacation?” asked WSPA, a CBS-affiliate in Spartanburg, SC, during a recent newscast. “They all require money. There may be cash waiting for you that you’d forgotten or never knew about.”
A couple of weeks ago, TVSpy reported on Philadelphia’s KYW running a “Claim Your Cash” series from Jim Donovan, a veteran of the scheme having first helped viewers in High Point, NC claim cash and property several years ago as a reporter with WGHP. KYW reported earlier this month that it had helped Pennsylvanians claim nearly $6 million in cash and property.
Here’s an informal list of stations that have run an unclaimed cash story this month…
New York’s WABC (video above)
Philadelphia’s KYW
Kansas City’s KMBC
Portland’s KGW
Las Vegas’s KVVU
Raleigh’s WRAL
Columbia’s WLTX
Charlottesville’s WVIR
Spartanburg’s WSPA
Charleston’s WCSC
Tyler’s KYTX