DOLLARS AND SENSE
Feeling the inflation pinch? See if you have money owed from forgotten accounts
WITH summer here and inflation all puffed up, why not look for some of your cash at New York state’s unclaimed funds webpage at OSC.State.NY.US? Abandoned bank accounts, escrows and utility credits are held by the state until the rightful owner claims them. The state’s database of unclaimed funds is easy to search and once you’ve proved who you are, it’s simple to get your money. Searches are free, but to make an official claim, and find out the dollar amount, you will need to enter your social security number.
There’s currently $17.5 billion waiting to be returned to the rightful owners and, according to state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, it’s easy to recover your money. “Our office gives back $1.5 million a day of lost and forgotten money to New Yorkers,” he said. “It only takes a minute to search for your name and, with our new ‘share’ button, it’s never been easier to alert your friends and family about unclaimed funds that they may have. Most online claims are processed in as little as two weeks.”
Celebrities are not like us
— they get paid just to show up — but they are forgetful, just like we are.
Gigi Hadid is not just a pretty face — she’s a top earner. Maybe she left a few quarters in the pocket of that epic puffer she wore to the Met Gala, because Bergdorf Goodman has some money for someone of that name who once lived on West 15th
Street in model-friendly Chelsea. It’s for “undelivered goods and services.”
Entertainment Partners has some “wages/payroll/ salaries/comm/pension pmts” for one Trevor Noah of 145 Mulberry St. What do you think, Mr. “Daily Show”? He now lives in Hell’s Kitchen, but this is from 2017, so maybe.
Illusionist Criss Angel has made his share of large objects disappear over time, but what of his small change? The New Yorker has some unredeemed gift certificates for clothier Giorgio Armani under the name Galv VIP Las Vegas, where he has worked.
Jack Antonoff is rock royalty, as lead guitarist of the indie rock band Fun. He’s also won six Grammys and has produced for the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey and Carly Rae Jepsen. Phew. No surprise then that this busy boy has some tax money left behind, assuming he once lived on Henry Street in Brooklyn. Canadian Will Arnett — whose Gob Bluth, as something of a Criss Angel-wannabe, is the best character in “Arrested Development” — may be owed some money, that is, if he lived on Morton Street in the West Village. He, too, has some uncashed checks from New York state. Since 2014, Will. 2014.
One Annette Bening has been reported by the Sesame Workshop, under the name Double Twin, with some “outstanding checks issued to vendors.” We know she did an episode with the Cookie Monster in 2013, so this is probably the real deal. “D” is for dough, Annette. Do you ever get the sads about Prince dying too soon? Type in his full name, Prince Rogers Nelson, and you will see the address of Paisley Park in Minnesota and learn that the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has some checks for him. You can’t claim them, but the person appointed by the court to handle his estate definitely can. Actor and solid New Yorker Billy Crudup needs to get on the blower with Albany because he has some “wages/payroll/salaries/comm/ pension pmts” coming to him from NBC Universal. Naomi Watts would be like, “Let’s go, Billy!”
Model, fashionista and “Grace and Frankie” star Brooklyn Decker is also on t e list for unclaimed “wages/payroll/salaries/ comm/pension pmts” from, you guessed it, NBC Universal. If Ms. Decker and her hubby Andy Roddick ever lived at East 22nd Street and Third Avenue, this one’s an easy lob.