Found 600$ in travelers checks!?

Actually, my ex girlfriend found $600 dollars in travelers checks about 7 to 8 years ago. The checks have the record of receipt around them (the piece that you are supposed to keep separate if you lose the checks) Well I was going thru some old stuff and found them in one of my old boxes. What should i do with them? Seems wrong to try and cash them in, but since there is probably no record of the people that bought them, it seems a waste to let American express, a mulit-billion dollar corporation, get to keep that money. Or if i call Amex do you think they would let me cash them if no one claimed they were stolen?

The original owner initialed them. They are in canadian dollars and they were issued 10/11/00

Ignore the first answer! Call Amex and tell them what really happened, then turn them in. Be honest, for heaven's sake. It would be great to get a free (unearned) $600, but wouldn't you be just a bit jittery knowing you "stole" that money?

Cash them in. Since you have the record of receipt legally I doubt anything could be done to you. Just say a friend got them for you!

Only the person who BOUGHT them can cash them. Look at the front of the check and you'll see that they have be SIGNED by the purchaser. (Yeah, dude, their name is on there.)

did the original owner sign them...if so then no you cant cash them..if theyre unsigned theyre fair game....but who wuold be dum enough not to sign their travelers cheques...:/

It depends on you, you should be able to cash them, because you have the original paper work. American express should still have records as to who the buyer was, if they don't, then the money is yours. Remember traverls checks are as good as cash, would you throw out $600.00 cash if you could not find the owner? DO NOT DESTROY THEM, THEY ARE CASH.