A college freshman was locked out of his scholarship money and turned to 7 On Your Side for help.
Anthony Shah was recognized with two scholarships when he graduated with honors from Northport High School on Long Island.
"I was just really glad to hear my name called and then open up those checks and see you know that my hard work really was put into something beneficial for my education," Shah said.
He received $1200.
When they deposited the checks, he got a message saying to contact Chase Bank.
"They told him that they need to verify the checks of the maker of the check. So he supplied the contact information," Shah's dad, Brian, said.
The Shah family connected the bank with the PTA and Rotary Club, which awarded the scholarship money.
"They said that they weren't able to verify the checks," Brian said.
The funds were frozen and the freshman was locked out of his checking and savings accounts, and was making the move to the University of Florida with no money.
"It's very frustrating, especially with getting a kid ready to go to college. There are so many steps and so many things to do," Brian said.
That's when his dad decided to call 7 On Your Side.
7 On Your Side reached out to Chase Bank and provided the contact information for both of Anthony's scholarships. A week later, the check was in the mail.
"I was really happy and like relieved. It was like a weight off my shoulders," Shah said.
Chase Bank said they were unable to verify the link between the check maker and the associated phone numbers, but after further review, they were able to release the funds to their customer.
They said in a statement, "We apologize to Mr. Shah for this inconvenience."
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