5 On Your Side recovered more than $336,000 for scammed consumers in 2023

It's the season of giving year-round for WRAL 5 On Your Side. In the last year, the 5 On Your Side team has recovered more than $336,772.70.

The 5 On Your Side team works tirelessly for WRAL viewers, and this year they got money back for viewers in just about every kind of situation, including health bills, construction woes and holiday trips.

Here is a wrap up of 5 On Your Side’s 5 greatest solves of the year.

$10,000 for a Raleigh widow

When Penny Glen, the widow of a retired Raleigh worker, told 5 On Your Side that the state took away her husband’s death benefits, the team looked into the matter and discovered the treasurer’s office incorrectly distributed retirement benefits for years. 5 On Your Side pressed State Treasurer Dale Folwell on the mismanagement. Following the extensive investigation, state lawmakers passed a law to better protect victims of incorrect payouts, and viewers rallied to Penny’s side, donating more than $10,000 to cover the cost of Penny’s missing death benefit.

Out-of-control construction quashed

When blasting bothered neighbors in northeast Raleigh, 5 On Your Side dug into the complaints and found East Coast Drilling and Blasting set off multiple explosions at a construction site without a permit. After 5 On Your Side started asking questions, the developer agreed to pay to have all the blasting dust cleaned off the home and fix the HVAC system.

More than $6,000 in stolen bank funds restored

Imagine going into your bank account and finding more than $6,000 gone. That’s what happened to Danielle Hahn, whose wallet was stolen from Umstead Park. She alerted her bank, but then noticed money in her bank account was gone. She asked Wells Fargo for help but says she got the runaround until she contacted WRAL 5 On Your Side. Within a day, every penny of the $6,390 was back in the bank.

A new home for a deserving family

After 5 On Your Side reported that J&R Homes filed for bankruptcy and left a Sanford family with only a frame, another builder stepped in to help. Joey Knowles, his wife, and son moved into their home this summer after GC Adams Construction worked with the Knowles to finish the build at a cost they could afford.

$720 VRBO scam solved

Tracy Parks booked a VRBO for a girls' reunion trip in Charlotte, only to get there and have no way of getting in. She contacted the host over and over again and got silence. When she asked VRBO for a refund, she got the same response. She then turned to 5 On Your Side and got the refund she always wanted. That’s $720 back in her bank account.

Here’s to even more money saved in 2024.