You've probably seen her. That sharp, determined look, the microphone in hand, and a background that usually involves a frustrated homeowner or a pile of confusing medical bills. For New Yorkers, Nina Pineda isn't just another face on the evening news. She’s the person you call when the bank freezes your inheritance, the contractor vanishes with your deposit, or a major corporation stops returning your emails.
Nina Pineda 7 On Your Side has become a synonymous phrase with "getting things done." Honestly, in a city where red tape is basically a local sport, having a heavyweight in your corner is a necessity.
Who Is Nina Pineda Anyway?
Before we get into the millions of dollars she’s clawed back for viewers, let’s talk about the woman herself. Nina isn't some rookie. She’s a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Syracuse University—which, if you know anything about journalism schools, is a massive deal. She’s been with WABC-TV (Channel 7) for a long time, but her impact goes way beyond just reading a teleprompter.
She’s actually a mother of two living in Bergen County, and she’s deeply involved in charity work, sitting on the boards of organizations like Womankind. That matters because when she’s interviewing a victim of a scam, that empathy isn't faked for the cameras. She’s someone who lives in the community she serves.
The Massive Numbers Behind 7 On Your Side
Television is often about flash, but with Pineda, it's about the math. Every year, her team tracks how much money they actually recover for the people who write in. It’s kinda staggering when you see the totals.
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- In 2022, the team recovered over $1.5 million for viewers.
- By 2024, that number exploded to nearly **$3 million** ($2.9 million to be exact), thanks in part to a huge investigation into car dealership lease buyout charges.
- In 2025, they hit the million-dollar mark by June—months ahead of schedule.
Think about that for a second. That isn't just "corporate settlement" money. It's rent. It's retirement funds. It's the $20,000 inheritance she helped a Queens man unfreeze when the bank wouldn't listen to him. It’s the $15,703 she got back for a retired New Jersey couple whose brand-new HVAC system was a total lemon.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Process
A lot of people think you just send an email and Nina Pineda shows up at your door with a camera crew the next morning. That’s not quite how it works. The Nina Pineda 7 On Your Side operation is a legitimate investigative unit. They get thousands of tips.
They don't just pick the "loudest" stories; they pick the ones where they can prove a wrong has been committed. They look for the "David vs. Goliath" scenarios where a regular person is being stonewalled by a system that’s designed to make them give up.
If you're thinking of reaching out, you've got to have your ducks in a row. They need the paper trail. Contracts, emails, receipts—the boring stuff is actually what wins the case. Nina’s team doesn't just "shame" companies; they present them with undeniable evidence that they’ve messed up. Often, the mere mention of her name is enough to get a customer service manager to suddenly "find" a solution they claimed didn't exist five minutes prior.
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Why 7 On Your Side Still Matters in 2026
We live in an era of AI chatbots and automated customer service lines that lead nowhere. Honestly, it’s exhausting. Trying to get a human being on the phone at a major tech company or a utility provider is like trying to find a parking spot in Midtown on a Friday night.
That’s why this segment hasn't faded away. Nina Pineda provides the one thing an algorithm can't: accountability. When she did a story on a journalist whose Instagram account was mistakenly banned, it wasn't just about one person's photos. It was about highlighting how these massive platforms have zero recourse for regular users until a news camera starts rolling.
Common Scams Nina is Warning Us About Right Now
It's not all about getting money back; a huge part of the 7 On Your Side mission is making sure you don't lose it in the first place. Lately, Nina has been sounding the alarm on a few specific areas:
The Moving Scam Trap
Moving is stressful enough, but Nina has covered cases where movers hold someone's entire life's possessions hostage for "extra fees." Her advice? Always get three binding estimates and check for a state license. If the price seems too good to be true, you're probably about to get "bait-and-switched."
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The Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Headache
It looks convenient, but Nina has pointed out that these services can have interest rates as high as 36% if you miss a payment. It’s an interest rate trap that catches people who think they’re avoiding credit card debt.
The "Phantom" Construction Charge
She recently helped a Newark woman who was charged $5,000 for construction materials in another state that she never even ordered. These are the kinds of errors that banks often "investigate" and then deny until a reporter gets involved.
How to Actually Get Help
If you've been wronged and you're at your wit's end, you don't just post on Twitter and hope for the best. To get on the radar of Nina Pineda 7 On Your Side, you have to be professional and persistent.
- Use the official form. Go to the WABC-TV website and look for the "7 On Your Side" submit-a-tip link.
- Be concise. Don't send a ten-page manifesto. State what happened, who the company is, and exactly how much money is at stake.
- Show the "dead end." Explain that you’ve already tried the normal channels. If you haven't even called the company yet, the news team won't take the case. They are the court of last resort.
- Have your documents ready. If they call you back, you need to be able to scan and send your evidence immediately.
Nina Pineda has been called an "angel on earth" by some of the people she's helped, and while that might be a bit dramatic, the impact is real. In a world that feels increasingly impersonal, having someone willing to stand up and say "this isn't right" is worth its weight in gold.
Whether it's Medicare fraud, a glitchy HVAC system, or a bank that’s holding your money hostage, the 7 On Your Side team remains one of the few places where the "little guy" still has a fighting chance.
Actionable Insights for Consumers:
- Document Everything: Every time you speak to a customer service rep, write down the date, time, and their name (or employee ID).
- The 90-Day Rule: For most disputes, especially with movers or credit card charges, you have a very narrow window to file an official report. Don't wait.
- Check Unclaimed Funds: Nina frequently reminds viewers to check state databases for unclaimed money; many of her "wins" come from simply showing people how to find money they didn't know they had.
- Use Social Media Wisely: Before calling the news, try tagging the company’s official "Support" handle on social media. Many companies have a separate team for social complaints that is more empowered than the phone reps.