New figures suggest £1.4bn belonging to 728,000 people is sitting in Child Trust Funds, ready to be claimed. But many do not know the accounts exist, or that they are eligible to withdraw it.
Now a senior MP is backing calls for pay-outs to be made automatically for some of these accounts.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the MP for North Cotswold, spoke to Radio 4's Money Box about the issue.
"I liken this money a bit to a treasure trove buried on a [desert] island in vast acres of sand expecting the poor recipients on these child trust funds to go and find this money," he said.
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"I think there's a lot more we could do to encourage the government to find the recipients."
Sir Geoffrey, who chairs Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, said he'd be asking the Treasury and HMRC to do more next time they appear in front of the Public Accounts Committee on this issue.
The Share Foundation, a charity which helps people track down lost and unclaimed funds, is also calling for automatic pay-outs for some of these funds if they've not been claimed by the time account holders turn 21.
This plan covers accounts where no action was taken by parents or carers to set up a trust fund after being sent the initial voucher from government.
The National Insurance numbers could be used to trace account holders via PAYE payslips, student loans or benefits.
How can I withdraw money from my Child Trust Fund?
Child Trust Funds can be found for free using the Government Gateway service.
The Share Foundation charity runs a free finding service.
What is a Child Trust Fund and who has one?
A Child Trust Fund was a long-term tax-free savings account for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011.
The government initially put £250 into the tax-free account during a child's first year, then added another £250 when he or she reached the age of seven. For lower-income families, the payment was £500.
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Parents, family and friends could also contribute to the account, up to set limits.
The scheme was scrapped by the coalition government in January 2011.
The average amount in Child Trust Funds is estimated to be around £2,000 because of interest and extra money put in by family and friends.
Each month about 55,000 people turn 18, and can redeem the money, or continue to save, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
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