Starting on the first of February in the year 2023 – To celebrate National Unclaimed Property Day, the state recommends checking the ICash website to see if you are due any money.
To see if you are entitled to any unclaimed funds, you can use the ICash website as a database. There have been two changes to the ICash website that have made using the service easier than ever before.
Everyone can aid the treasurer’s office in making contact with people whose names appear in the unclaimed property database by using the “share” function on ICash’s Friends and Family page.
Any time a user sees the name of a friend or family member while browsing the ICash website, they can click the “share” button and enter that person’s email address.
Then, a staff member from Frerichs’s office will email the person, letting them know about the unclaimed property and thanking the person who first brought it to their attention. Afterward, he or she can initiate the steps necessary to reclaim the lost item.
When it comes to returning unclaimed funds, “the share function on ICashserves as an additional tool,” as Frerichs put it. “We are happy that friends and family now have the opportunity to help inform people that they may have unclaimed property waiting for them.”
Anyone who visits the ICash website, during or outside of business hours, can interact with “Abe,” the automated chatbot. Abe is an English and Spanish-speaking chatbot that provides a quick and easy way for people to get answers to their questions about unclaimed money.
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Many people have obligations during regular business hours, such as employment, education, or other commitments.
That makes it difficult for them to access the ICash website or contact customer service during those times, when those inquiries are most likely to be received, as noted by Frerichs.
“Anyone who visits ICash outside of business hours can now get basic questions answered by the helpful Abe the chatbot.”
The Illinois State Treasurer is responsible for protecting abandoned assets like forgotten bank accounts, life insurance proceeds, and rebate cards. Over $3.5 billion in unclaimed funds are kept in Illinois.
Over $1.6 billion in unclaimed property has been returned by the office since 2015. This is a new record for the programme, which began in 1961.
Searching ICash, about a quarter of Illinois adults (on average) find at least $1,000 in unclaimed property.
