By Paul Bousche

There is a little known secret out there, lurking on the internet, where unclaimed property can be found and claimed by its rightful owner.

Some states have billions of dollars to give away because when no one claims these valuables, they are eventually turned over to a state, where they can sit unclaimed for years.

It could be an old paycheck, stock note, or inheritance that is owed, and with the state of the economy declining, this money can be a pleasant surprise for those who are willing to search for it since most states don’t have a staff that will come and seek out the rightful owners.

But, access to this money is easy via the internet. Through websites, such as unclaimed.org, money may be found in just a few short moments. All that has to be done is pick the state that you or any family members have lived or worked in, type in the name, and within seconds, results are displayed.

“I have heard of websites like this before but never looked into it,” said Thomas Herman, an accounting major at Mercy. “I didn’t find anything for me or my immediate family.”

Yet, many Americans are realizing it is worth a glance.

“My mother and grandmother found over $100 each that was owed to them,” said Kristina Smith, a senior at Mercy. “It was really easy to do.”

This unclaimed money may be considered more reliable than the government’s recent attempt at stimulus checks, where approximately 383,000 checks have been returned to the IRS as a result of being sent to the wrong addresses.

Those mislabeled checks have a value of $163 million, with the average rebate coming to $583 each.

Those numbers are just estimates as the checks may really be worth less or more, but any amount of money, like the unclaimed money offered on the web, will be warmly welcomed in these tight economic times.

This has become an even greater problem than last year, as this year’s number of undelivered checks is more than three times the number marked last year.

Although Dec. 31 was the deadline for all stimulus checks to be sent out, all hope of receiving something is not lost. People who believe they are owed a stimulus check have two ways to reach the IRS.

The stimulus checks can be tracked on the IRS website, or through their hotline number, (866) 234-2942.

Since the deadline has already past, you will no longer receive cash but instead credit will be received on your tax return.

Money that is owed to you may be just a click away, so be sure to check these resources as it may be your lucky day.