Found Wallet...What Would You Do?

First, let me start by saying "happy thanksgiving" to all my fellow ATSers.

Yesterday, I was faced with am ethical decision, and I figured what better place to discuss this than here on ATS.
Here is the scenario:
I was with my 4 year old son at an area hospital for an appointment with a doctor (he is fine). In order to get to the doctors office, we had to go through the hospitals ER. While walking through the ER, I noticed a womans wallet on a chair with NO ONE around. I pondered it for a second--I then picked up the wallet and waited a few moments for anyone to come and claim it. No one did.
I then thought that whose ever wallet this was, they are probably having a sh***y day as it is and needs it back. I thought about bringing it to security, but then thought that they would most likely rip the cash off and do god-knows what with it. I held onto it. I went with my son to his appointment, and stopped by the ER once again to see if there was anyone else there to claim it. Again, there was not.
My next stop was........the post office. I opened the wallet, retrieved the womans ID (which also contained approx $200), got a box from the clerk and paid postage to mail the wallet (and yes...all of the money) back to the womans address on the ID.
Some people say that I was foolish??? What do you think?? My point was 1) the woman probably had NO IDEA it was missing 2) was having a crappy day as it was 3) I was not about to rob this woman of her cash...I have my own money and do not need hers.
I considered this the right thing to have done and my good deed for a while.

What would you have done??? What do you think of my decision???

You did the right thing. You can trust yourself so I wouldn't trust anyone else to return it for me.

By sending it to the address on the ID, you most likely got it back to the person who lost it.

Also, the money in it isn't important, that's easily replaced. But that ID is extremely important and can prove very difficult to replace and can really ruin someone's life if they don't get it back.

So yes, you did the right thing. 100%.

It really depends, because your very nice, and you have money, it was very nice of you to return the wallet.
It's all about morals.
I would have kept the wallet, kept the money, try to embezzle all the other cash i can out of the lady, and then steal her identity.
Back to your position, if i were you, and i had money, i wasn't in a rush to do anything bad, yes i would have returned it as you did.
Good job sir!

The people who called you foolish are most likely selfish thieves and I wouldn't ever trust them with anything. Just my opinion because it was their subconscious admitting their own nature.

It would be totally acceptable if you used a dollar from the 200$ to pay the postage however. That would be fine. I assume you did that though.

Originally posted by 0Mark

I would have kept the wallet, kept the money, try to embezzle all the other cash i can out of the lady, and then steal her identity.

You would really do that?

Way to rack up felonies over nothing.

reply to post by LrBc1275


you did the right thing

The real questions is: what do you think of your decision? Did you use the situation to educate your child about right and wrong?
Of course you did the right thing, but you know so many people would have taken the cash and then thrown it in the trash....

Originally posted by muzzleflash

Originally posted by 0Mark

I would have kept the wallet, kept the money, try to embezzle all the other cash i can out of the lady, and then steal her identity.

You would really do that?

Way to rack up felonies over nothing.

Yes, but in 'Merican culture, it you only get in trouble IF you get caught.
I'm a ninja thief.

reply to post by 0Mark


I suspect that you are being sarcastic in your post...I hope. However, if you are not, than that is absolutely your prerogative. If thats the case, just remind me to bolt down all of my possessions if youre ever around

reply to post by LrBc1275


Not really, well i'm talking about a minority of the majority or the people who would take the money.
But have hope, there are some kids of my generation that have excellent morals!

Yes, bolt it down.

Originally posted by Starwise
The real questions is: what do you think of your decision? Did you use the situation to educate your child about right and wrong?
Of course you did the right thing, but you know so many people would have taken the cash and then thrown it in the trash....

Yes, I do believe I did the right thing, I am basically making conversation on here. As far as my son, I am teaching him right and wrong, and as far as the wallet, he was actually mad at me for taking it because "it wasnt mine" lol
He didnt really get the concept until it was actually in the mail.

Well survival of the fittest.
But I would base my decision on the wallet itself.
Stacks of cash and an obviously rich owner i.e. expensive wallet, expensive credit cards, anything to point out the owner is rich and I would probably take it
If its obviously from someone not so rich and there might not be a lot of money but a lot of cards and stuff that would be annoying to replace I would give it back.
Most of the time tho people have cancelled all their cards before you have time to give it back

You did the right thing. Mega-Kudos, plus a flag and star for you.

When I first got out of the Marine Corp I worked as a security guard for a condominium complex and found a wallet - with $200 cash and chock full of credit cards - that had been dropped as someone was leaving a wedding reception. I didn't find it until everyone had left, and there was no way to immediately return it, and since I was in charge of the security on the site, I had no superior to turn it into. Instead of mailing it back like you did, I took it to the address listed on the Driver's License.

The man was so grateful to get his ID and credit cards back, he took the $200 out of the wallet and gave it to me. I had no money of my own, but still I was loathe to take it because all I did was what I considered to be the right thing. After I initially refused his money he said, "Look at it this way; if someone dishonest had found this they could have cleaned me out. You may have just saved me thousands of dollars, not to mention the aggravation of having to replace all of my IDs and credit cards." So I took the reward. I guess that proves that honesty is the best policy.

Of course I went to Ft. Lauderdale and blew it all on booze and strippers, but hey...


ETA: Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well.

reply to post by OldCorp


Star for you my friend on that post....good to see there are other honest people out there!! And Semper Fi !!!!!

To comment on yours...the WORST part of booze and strippers is paying for them yourself!!!!!

I am glad you did what you did that was the right thing. I am disappointed that you had to ask the question.

You did the right thing....

From the other side of the coin.....

A few years ago my wife and I had a date night in our city. We live outdside the city about 30 miles, drove in about 28 miles parked and took a cab the rest of the way. At the end of the night (about 11pm) we cabbed it to the car and drove home. On the drive home I realized my wallet was gone! After a few minutes of frantically calling my CC companies and cancelling all cards we arrived home and went to bed.

At 1:30am I awoke to a loud knocking at the front door. Weapon in hand I answered to find our foreign-born cab driver standing at my door holding my wallet! He had found it in his cab at the end of the night cleaning it out and driven it out the 30 miles to return it to me. He refused to give me his name b/c of fear that he would get in trouble with his boss for taking the cab so far out of the city. The wallet was exactly as I had dropped it..... all cards, ID's, and money still there. I was so happy to have it back and avoid all the hassle that comes with standing in line, phone calls, etc of getting new id's, cards, etc that I gave him the $300 cash that was in the wallet....and I had to force him to take it...

So, I spent $300 to get my wallet back, but I avoided all of the hassles associated with getting new stuff.... I slept with a smile that night happy that there actually were honest people like me out there.

Now now, yes it matters on the wallet itself, if it happend to be Bloomberg's wallet, i would send it back with nothing but OWS slogans printed on paper.

reply to post by spyder550



Consider it a poll here on ATS. I am not trying to gather info to change my rationale. Simply a conversation piece for all of you here

Originally posted by LrBc1275
reply to post by spyder550

 

Consider it a poll here on ATS. I am not trying to gather info to change my rationale. Simply a conversation piece for all of you here

That sounds, like your trying to ENTERTAIN YOUR SELF! GUYS BATTEN DOWN YOUR HATCHES! He's doing this for his own entertainment.
./sarcasm

As a representative of my generation, being born in the mid 1990's, i think i spoke the truth for my people, good or not, it is the reality of modern times.

You did the right thing!!
I found a wallet once with
no id - I ran over it with my
bike and turned around to
retrieve it. It had over $40
in smaller bills and nothing
else at all. No idea, pictures
or anything. There was no
one around to claim it so
I had no choice but to keep it.
People - put id in your wallet,
there are honest people that
will return it to you as the OP
has done.