BRADENTON, Fla. — "I get a bunch of mail every night saying that I won money. It went from like $40,000 to $80,000," said an 88-year-old local woman, who just went by Barbara.
Barbara didn't understand why she kept receiving a large number of mailers, hinting at money that was hers.
And she kept thinking, 'What if it was true?'
WATCH: Elderly woman discovers over $100,000 in unclaimed funds thanks to an officer
So she decided to call the local police department for assistance.
''She had a like a garbage bag full of junk mail. And I mean, I'm going through it and I'm letting her know, 'Hey, this is junk. This is advertised. And this is a scam.' But you know, like so many of them, they try to trick people by saying, 'Open immediately or urgent or you've won," Officer Jim Curulla said.
Officer Curulla, who specializes in Elder Fraud, went to Barbara's house to see if any of the offers were legitimate.
"Then, I saw one that of the returns was from the State of Florida's Department of Financial Services. And I'm like, 'Well, wait a second. This looks good,''' Officer Curulla explained.
And sure enough, Barbara had $108 thousand in unclaimed stock options.
''I was excited, really excited! I mean, I have never been that excited,'' she said with a big smile.
BPD said they searched the unclaimed property database and found Barb had over $100,000 in stock dividends from a company she worked for over 30 years ago.
"I worked for a telephone company. And I had part of my salary go into what I thought was stocks. And I think that's what it must be because I worked there for 31 years,'' Barbara explained.
So as she celebrates this unexpected six-figure payout, she's also grateful for her new friend in the neighborhood.
Barbara said, ''Thank you so much! Oh my God,' as she embraced Officer Curulla.
You can check to see if you have any unclaimed property here.
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Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Wendy Ryan is dedicated to helping our neighbors navigate the important topic of mental health. For years, she’s been connecting people to resources, listening to their challenges, and sharing their stories to decrease the stigma. You can connect with Wendy by using the form below.
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