The State of Louisiana Might Owe You Money & Here’s How to Check

Who doesn't need a little bit of extra cash right now? The State of Louisiana is actually holding onto a large amount of money that belongs to you and me.

Did you know that over $1 billion in unclaimed property and/or money belonging to people in Louisiana has yet to be claimed?

What does a person or company do when they can't find you, but they owe you money? They turn things like balances of your gift cards or insurance proceeds over to the state of Louisiana. You can find out how to check to see if you have any unclaimed money or property by going to the Louisiana Treasurer's Office website.

One of the main jobs of Louisiana's Treasury Department is to make sure that they find the rightful owners of money and property under the "Unclaimed Property" program. This is a free program that you do not have to pay for.

The only problem? The problem happens when unscrupulous people try to have similar websites and programs that charge a fee to help you get your money back. Don't fall for misleading advertising on social media that tries to get you to pay for a service that is actually free.

You can click on this link, LaCashClaim.org which is a legitimate link. You enter some information, and you are able to easily able to see if you have unclaimed money or property. Treasurer John Schroder says they also team up with MissingMoney.com for free to help you check all states to see if you have unclaimed money or property.

Treasurer John  Schroder says one in six individuals has filed and claimed money and/or property through the website.

He says it's imperative that you make sure you don't do the following:

• Don't use the wrong website to try to claim property or money
• Don't put in personal information unless you know it's the two sites above you are using.
• Don't forget to check to make sure the URL address is exactly like the two above. Ones that seem similar could be even a letter or number different, and your information can be compromised.