NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Paris is such a magical place in the springtime that songs have even been written about it. The perfect time of year to visit the city of light, it was a trip Sharon Sisskind and her family took 20 years ago.
“We went to a lot of museums, a lot of churches,” says Sharon. “I remember going to Notre Dame…We just had a really good time.”
The Sisskinds were even featured in a USA Today article about Americans traveling in Paris.
Late last year, the Newton mother was digging through some boxes of paperwork when she not only found the old newspaper article, but something else as well.
“I came across these traveler’s checks that were in French francs,” she says.
Sharon purchased the traveler’s checks two decades ago for her Parisian adventure, but forgot all about the checks she didn’t use for 1,000 French francs. When converted to US currency, it was worth about $160 at the time Sharon looked into it.
The old currency was replaced by the Euro long ago, but Sharon figured the checks were still good.
“The reason that you buy traveler’s checks is because they’re good forever,” she says.
She contacted American Express to try and cash them in.
“They said that I should receive a check within about 10 days,” she says.
But after waiting several months, Sharon says the promised check never came. She reached back out to American Express about her missing money and was shocked at the response. The company claimed not only was the check sent, but that Sharon cashed it at Chase Bank.
“I don’t even have an account at Chase,” Sharon says.
She called Chase and was able to obtain a copy of the check she supposedly cashed.
“It wasn’t my signature,” she says.
Sharon couldn’t get any answers from the two companies involved, so she contacted Solve It 7.
A Chase representative told us their investigation determined that Sharon never cashed a check with them. We shared that information with American Express and, after verifying the new development with Chase, returned the money to her account: $164.
“The money’s in the bank!” Sharon says. “I don’t think this would have happened if Solve It 7 hadn’t gotten involved and I really appreciate the work that you did to make this happen.”
Sharon told us all along this wasn’t about the money, it was the principle. She donated the $164 to a local food bank.
Is there a problem you can’t seem to solve on your own? Send us an email at SolveIt7@whdh.com or give us a call at 617-367-7777.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)