WCIA 3 2025 Illinois State Treasurer’s Office I-CASH Telethon

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Today is the 2025 WCIA 3 Illinois State Treasurer’s Office I-CASH Telethon.

We’re asking viewers to call in, as operations will be standing by to help you check for unclaimed cash and other items that may be waiting for you. To search and file a claim for missing property in Illinois, click here, and to search and file a claim for out of state missing property, click here.

Throughout the evening, WCIA will provide updates on this page.

6:12 p.m.

Illinois State Treasurer Frerichs is taking calls now for unclaimed cash and property.

6:04 p.m.

Just over two hours into the Telethon, tens of thousands of dollars have been claimed, and the phones are still open.

5:25 p.m.

From 4-5 p.m., the State Treasurer’s Office received 47 claims worth over $55,000 and 203 searches were done. People can call in until 10:30 p.m.

5:15 p.m.

Frerichs sits down with WCIA’s Cole Henke to give some tips to Illinois residents on how to navigate through their website to claim missing money.

5:11 p.m.

Many people are calling into I-CASH’s Telethon and claims are also able to be filed through their website. 47% of people who have filed claims have had money or property returned to them.

5 p.m.

There’s $5 billion sitting in a vault, and the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office wants residents to have what they deserve.

4:56 p.m.

WCIA’s Kevin Lighty looked his name up and was able to claim missing money in three different states through the I-CASH Telethon.

4:40 p.m.

Kevin Schuster, Community Affairs Specialist with I-CASH, explains his favorite parts of being able to reunite people with missing money through claims. The biggest claim Schuster has dealt with was worth about $125,000.

4:37 p.m.

Over $2.2 billion in unclaimed property has been returned since Frerichs took office. Frerichs is answering phone calls to reunite people with their valuable items.

4:25 p.m.

When Frerichs took office in 2015, there were 60,000 claims for unclaimed cash. Now, that number is up to 300,000, and it all started when he had unclaimed property that he didn’t cash.

4:22 p.m.

In 2024, the Frerichs returned nearly $300 million to more than 300,000 state residents. The average claim was over $900.

4:08 p.m.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs talks with WCIA’s Jennifer Roscoe about why he decided to have an I-CASH Telethon.

4:05 p.m.

Calls are already rolling in just minutes after the start of this year’s I-CASH Telethon.