POLL: Found money... return or not?

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I decided that amidst all these Iraq and America and religion topics we need something we can all "agree" on... a topic that test our mettle in honesty and good 'ole moral backbone.

Found money. Undue change.

Say, at a store, you get two twenties instead of one as a change... do you return the extra one? Or do you hope that no one notices, and slip away quickly?

When you find a wallet on the street, do you pocket the cash before taking it to the Lost & Found office? Can't recall if there is a better word, my vocabulary gets worse the later it gets...)

When the person using the ATM machine before you accidentally leaves a twenty on the money slot, will you call after them that they forgot their money, or will you kust palm the money quickly, and hope they won't notice their losses?

In our society money is power... and money also gets games, books, and other fun stuff. So, ladies and gentlemen, where do you stand?

I know where I stand. But I am not making THIS an opinion post.

(Can of worms, LAUNCH!)

Poll Information
This poll contains 4 question(s). 30 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Found money... return or not? (30 votes.)

Found money... Return or not? As in general (Choose 1)
* Always, no exceprions - 27% (8)
* Most of the time - 17% (5)
* Sometimes - 7% (2)
* Never - 3% (1)
* Fifty-Fifty - 0% (0)
* Most of it - 0% (0)
* Some of it - 0% (0)
* Depends on the amount - 13% (4)
* Depends on things other than the amount - 27% (8)
* Just the results for me, thank you - 7% (2)

Extra change: What do you do? (Choose 1)
* Return it, not exceptions. Go back, if needed. - 27% (8)
* Return it most of the time... - 33% (10)
* Sometimes return it... - 0% (0)
* Return it? Never - 17% (5)
* Return most of it - 0% (0)
* Return some of it - 0% (0)
* Fifty-Fifty - 0% (0)
* Depends on the amount - 10% (3)
* Depends on things other than the amount - 10% (3)
* Just the results for me, thank you - 3% (1)

Found a wallet: What do you do? (Choose 1)
* Always return it to the nearest police station, untouched, no need for a reward - 50% (15)
* Take a look, maybe, return, and ask for a reward - 17% (5)
* Take most of the money before returning the wallet - 3% (1)
* Take some of the money before returning the wallet - 0% (0)
* Split the money before returning the wallet - 0% (0)
* Take all the money before returning the wallet - 3% (1)
* Take all the money and throw the wallet to the nearest trash bin - 7% (2)
* Depends on the amount of money - 3% (1)
* Depends on things other than the amount of money - 10% (3)
* Just the results for me, thank you - 7% (2)

Hey, he just left a twenty... What do you do? (Choose 1)
* Call after him, if possible, and give him his money. If not possible, leave equal amount of money on the slot - 13% (4)
* Call after him, if possible, if not, take the money - 70% (21)
* See if he notices, if not, take the money - 10% (3)
* Take the money anyway - 3% (1)
* Just want to see the results - 3% (1)

 

Before I became an attorney...I probably would have kept it. But since keeping the money would be an issue of integrity and trustworthiness, I would return it. I've learned that despite (or because of) all the lawyer jokes out there...An attorney is only as good as his reputation.

 

An ethical lawyer ... who'd a thunk it

Seriously, I'm with Bel.

On the wallet .. return it to the person or to the police, always.

On the ATM money, if I can flag the guy down, give it to him. If not, I wouldn't leave it in the slot ... so I would keep it.

On the found money ... it depends on the amount. I find a dollar every now and then, and there is no real way to track the person down. If I found a considerable amount, I would do my best to locate the owner (who ... if it was that much ... would be anxiously looking for it).

Did I ever post here that my dog at a $100 dollar bill? Chaotic Evil mut didn't return it ... and I checked every time he went number two! (seriously)

 

I'd return a wallet with ID, and if I were overchanged I'd return it at the till. Say I got a twenty back rather than a ten, and i realized it at home, I'd go back. If I got home and realized I'd been overchanged by 25 cents, though, I'm not going to go all the way back for that! Same thing goes for the $20 left in the slot -- I'd try and go after the guy. If I didn't make it, I sure wouldn't leave it for someone else to take!

Honesty is the best policy, IMHO, but when it is not possible (no ID in the wallet, can't find the guy who is the rightful owner) then keeping it won't change my Lawful Good status!

 

I was gonna say that it would depend on the situation. Like that if I figured it was from a handicapped person (e.g. I found the wallet on the lower part of a shelf, meaning that it might belong to a person in a wheelchhair), I would give it back. Conversely, if the owner of the wallet happened to be, say, George W. Bush, I wouldn't give it back.

But in retrospect, I don't believe that's right.

I have no right to declare that a rich man is better than a poor man. I think I'd just give it back, given reasonable circumstances (e.g. I know the owner of the wallet lives a few blocks from me, not on Antarctica, or that the money is more than spare change).

 

Gotta go off topic here, it is worth it.

I used to be a manager at branch of the 2 or 3 largest bank in America (depends on the day of the week), and this lady came in with 2 $100 bills taped down to a piece of paper in a Ziploc bag. They were complete, but they were all torn up and kind of yellow looking. She wanted to exchange the bills as defaced money. The bank is a Federal Depository, so technically you have to do it (most of the time). So my teller is looking at the money a little dubiously, and I though it looked a little strange, so I asked her what had happened. She said her dogs ate the money. So I said, "You mean your dogs chewed up the money." She told me no, that the money had made the full trip on the SS Intestinal Track. I said "NO WAY". She told me she had fed the dogs laxatives and kept them in a bedroom until it passed. For 2 days she was scooping up runny crap and washing it through a strainer!

I told her sorry, that I wouldn't exchange the money. She got pissed and demanded that I do it, Federal Depository thing. Told her sorry, but the money was at that point bio-hazardous material, and that she would have to send it to the Federal Reserve directly.

That didn't go over well, let me tell you!

Thought Mathetais would appreciate!

 

I've found money before. Significant sums.

If I can identify the owner, then I'd just hand it back and think nothing of it. I've found a couple of wallets (and purses) over the years, and I don't snoop through them unless it's to find the driver's license or something.

As long as my conscience doesn't bother me, I don't worry about it. I'm not going to run an add in the paper to see who lost a flashlight on the running track. I will, however, run one for a dog or something that looks like it's a heirloom or antique.

Basic common sense.

 

Darkwolf, you are just killing me tonight! That's the funniest damn thing I've ever heard.

EJSmith is right; it's just common sense and decency involved in how hard you're going to look for someone to return their lost items or money.

 

I would not try to steal anything that has an owner whom i can find or at least the police can find (wallets) but if i find money on the street or abandoned anywhere (ATM's) and i can not find to whom they belong i will most surely take them. As for overchanges if i found it out in time i return them if not it must be a significant amount to go back and return it. Hell when they overcharge me i must find it out or bye bye money.

 

Darkwolf ... I did appreaciate that!

Seriously, I was giving the meat cleaver a few very meaningful looks that evening!

 

As a general rule I try my best to return the money or wallet. I would want the same done to me especially if I really need the money or the other stuff in my wallet. I might need to buy medecine for my kid or make an important payment with my credit card. Also it's a hassle to report important IDs lost and replace them.

[ April 18, 2003, 04:01: Message edited by: Charlie ]

 

I would return all undue change and everything the owner of which were known. Same to some bigger money that I would hand over to the police. However, some unnoticeable amount is nothing to trouble police or Lost&Found with. Although as far as our police is concerned I'd rather look into IDs and take the wallet (or bag or whatever) directly to the owner. And no, that's not because I want (I don't) the 10% that goes to the founder as a custom. Well, and definitely I wouldn't leave anything on the ground.

 

Take the money, empty his account, and copy his ID; one can get a fortune by selling those forward. Or maybe not, if there is the cutest little picture of someone´s daughter. In that case I would just take the money and return the wallet for a reward.

Darkwolf, that woman was just plain stupid when telling the whole truth; she had to know that you would not exchange the money then. She got what she deserved.

 

I personally have been shortchanged and lost money. I know how it feels, it sucks. I for one would most definatley return the money or items to the rightful owner if at all possible.

 

Today I bough a sandwich for 13 payed with 15 got 3 back. I returned the 1, saying its not christmas yet.

Anyway.
Anything I can track to its owner goes that way. No discussion. Guilt weighs more than money in my heart. I think that goes for most of us? But If it isn't in a wallet I stick by the law. Hard feelings? Guilt? looking at it this way; If people were so careless to drop it or leave it, why do they even need it? or deserve it? I think not.

Still...
As Extremist says; Everything pays back. A wise saying to go hand in hand with through life.

[ April 24, 2003, 02:22: Message edited by: Nobleman ]

 

Get his credit card number and buy myself a ticket to pornxxxporn.com, yeah!

 

Cute daughter or otherwise I would return the money if I could contact the person in a short amount of time. The best policy with regard to wallets is to leave them there because someone may soon be coming back to look for them.

[ April 25, 2003, 08:01: Message edited by: rastilin ]

 

People who return wallets are very rare. I lost my wallet on two occasions, and each time there were, along with a fair amount of money, papers in it with my adress and phonenumber. Never got a response.

Not that i really expected that to happen, although one time it happened on my working ground, where there's only people who know me.

Now that kinda dissapointed me, i would defenitely bring the wallet of someone i know back, with everything in it. It actually happened to me once. But from a stranger i would keep it, and accept it as a gift from the gods, so to speak.

Also, i wouldn't mention it, if they gave me too much money back in the store where i bought something, and that happens quite often. It's only small amounts of money, no big deal really.