Target 11: Track Down Unclaimed Cash, Property

It may be the next best thing to winning the lottery.

Target 11 has uncovered diamond rings, rare coins, even cash in the Pennsylvania Treasury and some of it may actually belong to people who may not know about it.

According to the Pennsylvania Treasury, there could be cash waiting for someone, from an old bank account or valuables from a long-lost relative’s safety deposit box.

Officials said one in 10 of us has property or money waiting in Harrisburg.

Millions of dollars in unclaimed property is kept under lock and key and monitored by video surveillance in the basement of the state treasury.

And behind a 60-ton stainless steel cylinder vault door is a virtual treasure chest: rare coins, expensive jewelry and war medals, including Purple Hearts, Treasury officials said.

There’s also $1.5 billion in cash and some of it may be yours.

“A paycheck they left behind at one of the jobs they had in their youth, a deposit check for an apartment or something far larger,” said state Treasurer Rob McCord.

To find out whether you have money or property awaiting you, go to the Pennsylvania Treasury Department’s website and type in your name.

Target 11 did that and found some famous area residents have money there belonging to them. Among them, Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney and well-known forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who is entitled to $2,500 from an old case he worked.

“I truly want to thank you,” Wecht told Target 11’s Rick Earle. “I would never have noticed it and nobody else called it to my attention.”

When Target 11 visited the vault, workers there had just received a truck load of boxes, including six from Allegheny County. The vault manager agreed to let Earle see what was inside: Christmas ornaments.

If no one claims these ornaments after a couple of years, they will be sold on the online auction site, eBay. That's what they do with most of the items, Treasury officials said.

But it's a delicate balance because, on one hand, the Treasury wants to return the property and cash to the rightful owner, but if no one comes forward, the state gets the money.

The state has made $3.2 million selling items on eBay. Even if a person’s items are sold, that person can still come forward and claim the money, officials said.

Treasury officials said the average claim is $1,400; the largest, $2.1 million.

If you don’t have Internet access, you can call the Treasury Department toll-free at 1-800-222-2046.

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