Show me the money

The 12 Lotto winners who never claimed their prizes account forjust part ofour €600m in ‘abandoned’ cash, writes John Hearne

IT’S hard to believe, but Irish people have forgotten about or lost track of more than €600m between dormant accounts, unclaimed insurance funds, prizes and receipts over the last decade.

Since they first started keeping tabs on dormant accounts in 2003, banks, building societies and post offices have designated more than €523m as abandoned. The total value of unclaimed insurance policies since then comes to €68m. Twelve Lotto winners have failed to come forward and collect combined jackpots of over €11m over the last 20 years, including a €3.4m winner in 2001.