I found a mobile phone - and kept it!!.... Am I a bad person???

Simple question - I was walking home in the wee hours of Sunday morning in the rain, in the grass by the pavement I found quite a nice mobile phone, not a very expensive one, I checked and they are going for around £50 on a pay as you go deal.

Well this phone seems very new, only had a few numbers saved on it, and a few text messages that seemed to be about meeting up for a Saturday night on the town - and a few pounds of credit.

Now I could really of done a bit of detective work and got the phone back to it's owner (a young lad I would think from the evidence available) - the account has now been deactivated but the handset has not been blacklisted (although even if it was I can work around that - I have inside knowledge of the mobile phone industry).

So now I have kept the handset, my mobile phone is on it's very last legs and I really did need a new one, but I've been putting it off for financial reasons... Now I don't need to.

Simple question - Am I a bad person???

Doesn't make you a bad person, however you should do the right thing and try to get it back to the owner.

Could be someone less fortuneate than you that really needs the phone and can't afford to replace it.

If someone had found your mobile phone and not handed it in so it could be returned I'm sure they would consider you a bad person, maybe even a thief...but you keep it because you obviously need it more than the rightful owner don't you?

reply to post by nerbot


Well I will add I have lost several phones under similar circumstances, and never heard anything back... Now if a phone was actually stolen off me through whatever method I would try all options to either ID that person or make that phone handset difficult (but not impossible unfortunately) to use...

But as I lost them, and it's only really an acceptable loss, not super important I just kicked my self, disabled the account but left the handset open - I kinda imagine the lives the little phones might lead with their new owners That's sort of my thinking here... Maybe a little karma come back? I gotta say the timing is actually really great.

Also the area I found the phone and the evidence I have in no way makes me think the owner was poor or in hardship of any kind.

Does the item belong to you?

No, so it's wrong to keep it. You aren't a bad person for finding the item but a good and decent person would do everything they could to return it. The value of the item plays no part in the decision, theft is theft. You already know what you should do, so make the right choice and you will be rewarded in some other area of your life.

Who knows this person could be missing and the phone and area in which you found it could be considered a fruitful lead to this persons family and police....or it could have been innocently lost by the owner. No matter though, just do the right thing.

reply to post by kinglizard


Reasoning that the account has been cancelled makes me comfortable that the owner is OK.

I would submit to you this story:

www.evanwashere.com...

On May 31st, my friend Ivanna left her T-Mobile Sidekick II in a taxi cab inNew York City. This caused her great distress as she was getting married in 2-3 weeks from that day. Along with all her friends and families’ contact info, she also had all the caterers, band, wedding planner, etc info on there too. Even more important, was the fact that she had been in contact via email on the Sidekick with the US Embassy in Russia securing a visa for her sister, her maid of honor, to come to the wedding. She hadn’t seen her sister in many years and getting her here was one of the most important parts of planning this wedding.

Later...

The police finally contacted Ivanna after all the public attention and the pressure from the New York Times. They refused to talk to me, so she supplied them with all the information about Sasha we had gathered. A couple days later, I was awoken to people calling me saying that my picture and story was on the front page of the Metro Section of the New York Times as well as being on the radio news reports around the world. On top of that, it made multiple TV nightly news reports as well as on MSNBC. It turned out that over the weekend, the police had arrested Sasha and gotten the Sidekick back for us.

If you make an attempt at giving it back then maybe next time someone will try to get yours back to you.
Maybe karma is giving you a chance??
I have found a few phones in my time and always get it back to the owner....on another note when my phone gets lost I always seem to get it back.
Watch the karma...it can give you a kick in the pants.
Just sayin.

I wouldn't go so far as to say you are a bad person.More like a good person doing a bad thing.

reply to post by Now_Then


I'm the last person to judge another as I myself live in a glass house ...

It seems to me that if only for the fact that you chose to share this with us, and the way you have described/defended your action/inaction, is the answer to your own question. We all have our mirror ... it seems that yours, and this is just me observing you discuss it, has gotten a tiny bit harder to look at.

So forget the good/bad concepts and do what you already know you want to do, whatever that may be.

Also karma ...

[edit on 9 Dec 2009 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by Now_Then


Yes you are a bad person! Find the rightful owner of that damn phone or I will put you on my ignore list, make you a foe,
and rag on you unmercifully when I see a thread or post of yours.

I mean it!! Give that damn phone back! That lad might be expecting a very important call!

first, it's just a phone... it's not like you found a wallet with lots of money it it.

second, since a few brought up karma

there is no such thing as coincidence
you found the phone, but for what reason?
did it fall into your hands because you needed it so badly?

or maybe you need to meet the rightfull owner of the phone and the universe is hinting you to return it (what changes could meeting this person make in your life? aren't you at least a bit curious? I know I would :p)

3: I don't think your a bad person if you keep the phone.

I'd give it back my self if I could, trust me, it'd be nice to have a new phone, but the feeling you get for doing something nice for another is well worth it.

Please try to return the phone.

My friend lost an expensive mobile a few months ago with pictures of my dog on it. We tried ringing it to plead with the finder to return it, but it remained switched off. We've given up now.

It's an awful thing to lose, phone numbers and messages that you might need just go missing and it's such an easy thing to return.

The finder only needs to ring a number on the list of friends and make arrangements to get it back to the owner.

I've always thought from your posts that you were a nice person with some ways about you that made me laugh.

You're smart enough to put yourself in the other guy's shoes. Stop making excuses and just imagine how delighted he'll be to get his phone back.

Really, you've no justification for keeping it. And you know it.

Plus - Christmas spirit and all that...

Originally posted by Now_Then
Simple question - Am I a bad person???

No,

You're just evil

Coming from a guy who invited me yesterday over for lunch, or to be lunch, I'm not holding my breath that he will return the phone.
NT I am crying a river at tears that you are so disconnected that you would not give someone back something that is theirs, and not yours.

*Zazz throws herself on the floor in tears for added dramatic effect*

I have a very expensive phone, but if I left it anywhere I certainly wouldn't expect it back. I wouldn't think the person who kept it was bad either, just lucky. I dunno, I certainly don't have the money to replace it, but its just a phone.

Having said that, you should give someone in the contacts a ring to see if returning it is possible.

I picked up a really cool engraved zippo lighter off the street the other day. I haven't posted "missing lighter" papers all over town about it or yelled to see if anyone had lost theres. Nope, its sitting in my pocket now. Am I a bad person?

If I am I guess I can deal with being "bad."

If I'd find a 100 euros bill on the side-walk and nobody would be around to claim it, I'd most likely keep it. Tough luck for the person who lost it.

If I'd find a wallet with 100 euros, credit cards, id, drivers licence and so on I'd find the owner and return it. Same with a phone. Those are personal things, difficult to replace, and containing info that could be personal and/or very important.

I know I wouldn't like to lose my phone and never find it again. So I guess it's a case of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (hope I got that right, I'm not really a christian)

My good friend, I have found at least 15 or so cells over the years.
Usually scuffed as if they fell off the dash and then slid on the pavement as some idiot made too hard a turn.
From what I saw in the address books and some of the texts' that were saved, most likely young people that lost 'em.
I feel no remorse at all for keeping them and turning in the phone when the charity people do their "donate a used phone" drives.
I take no tax bene, I don't try to find out who the prior owner was, I don't use the phone to run down minutes, I don't care, I got my own and I pay for what I got.
I work in upscale areas and know the phones were insured.
And if it wasn't, sorry for their luck. (not really)
Locally, there is a program where these types of phones are GIVEN to the elderly and left "dead", as all phones, active or not, are capable of making a 9-11 call.
Now, if you count yourself among the downtrodden, by none of your own degree, keep the damn thing and sleep tight.
If you are insolvent, got a car you in your heart know you cannot afford, cable tv, plasma flatpanel, etc., ad-nauseum, give it back.
The amazing thing is, I think you know, already what you want to do, just want validation to do it.

reply to post by Wallachian



I agree.
Just finding $20.00 on a side walk is a lot different than finding a wallet full of identification, or a phone with the same.

Would you use the persons credit cards ?
If a PIN # was in the wallet would you take money from their account ?

Using a phone that will be billed back to them is just as bad.
So on that, I think I'd make the effort to return the property to the owner.

You're a thief if you use the phone, and you can be tracked via location and the numbers you call.