The New York State Auditor’s Office has $750,000 belonging to someone in Onondaga County.
They say they have tried to find the owner but will not make the name public.
The money belongs to a trust fund. It comes from an unclaimed tax refund.
It was transferred to the state’s unclaimed funds account in 2020.
This is the largest check for any Onondaga County business ever lost to the state.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli oversees unclaimed funds – things like unused gift cards, unclaimed utility reimbursements and forgotten bank accounts. The account contains $19 billion.
Every day, the office pays back about $1.5 million. They make some efforts to find people. But for the most part, they rely on people to find them. On their website, they offer an online search. You can type in the name of an individual or a group. Even cities, counties, schools and libraries have lost funds in this account.
The state is holding about $93 million for the losses suffered by Onondaga County residents, including $350,000 for two properties that also remain unnamed.
DiNapoli plans to visit the New York State Fair today at 2 p.m. to present checks to four organizations.
- YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County – $7,435
- Onondaga Youth Hockey Association – $3,181
- Make-A-Wish of Central New York – $1,083
- Good Life Youth Foundation – $1,000
Diane Kuppermann, president and CEO of the CNY Make-A-Wish Foundation, said she was initially “a little concerned” by the call from the state auditor general, an office known more for its audits than for handing out free money.
But the call was an invitation to the State Fair to collect a check for just over $1,000.
The money was a refund from Walt Disney that the group was unaware of, she said.
Walt Disney is a major partner of Make-a-Wish. About half of the children wish to visit Walt Disney World. Disney usually covers the costs, so Kuppermann was surprised to hear of a refund.
“They are just full of magic every day,” she said.
The Auditor of Unclaimed Funds booth at the State Fair is located in the Center of Progress building.
Contact Michelle Breidenbach | [email protected] | 315-470-3186.
