Unlike those e-mails you get from alleged former kings of war-torn countries seeking your social security and bank account numbers so you can receive millions of dollars, this is legit. New York State is currently holding billions (yes, billions) of dollars in unclaimed funds for New York residents (or former New York residents).

Where does this money come from? New York State law requires entities that hold inactive funds (referred to as "stakeholders") to deposit them with the Office of the New York State Comptroller. These funds come from sources such as dormant bank accounts, unclaimed stock dividends, and tax rebate checks that have never been cashed.

To check if the state is holding funds payable to you, visit the Unclaimed Funds website of the Office of the State Comptroller at http://www.osc.state.ny.us/ouf/index.htm When the page loads, it will prompt you for your name and the city in New York in which you live. To perform a thorough search, you should include any former names or former City/Town of residence. Please note, the search will return all results for the name and City/Town, so if you have a common name, be prepared to sort through a long list. Each of the listings will provide the last known address of the payee, so you should be able to identify any listings that correspond to you.

To file a claim for these funds, click on the account number for the individual listing. This will direct you to a claim form that you can fill out online and print. If you have multiple accounts, you must complete a separate claim form for each account. After completing all of the information on the form, you must sign it before a Notary Public and submit it to Comptroller's Office using the address provided on the form.

Unfortunately, the website does not provide you with the amount of your claim. So unless you have information concerning the underlying source of the funds, there is no way to tell whether your claim is worth $0.01 or $10,000.00. Until you receive your payment check, there is no way to tell. Payment checks can sometimes take months to process. However, this money is "found money," and it is always worth it to inquire.

The only way to search for these funds is on-line so if you do not have a computer, visit SAGE's Cyber Center which is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Even if you are the most careful person when it comes to money, it would be prudent to check with the Comptroller's Office annually to see if funds have been placed on deposit for you. After all, checks get lost in the mail, and who couldn't use a few extra dollars?