Found Wallet...What Would You Do?

I think that feeling you get from posting the wallet back beats, by far, what you'd feel if you spent the $200. Just imagine the owner opening that little parcel.

It nice to see that people with a solid sense of ethics still exist. Of course you did the right thing. When it comes to down to what really matters in life, money is on the lowest rung if on any rung at all.

For any wallet I have ever found over the years, the first thing I do is look for an ID. As long as there is an ID, the wallet gets returned in full. If there were no ID, then that's a different matter. At that point you could register it with the local police, and if it is not claimed after a certain amount of time, it gets returned to you.

No question about it, you did the right thing. The only thing I would of done different would of been to find her phone number and let her know that I had found her wallet and maybe meet her somewhere to hand it back but it ends up being the same, she gets what is rightfully hers back.

Honest people always win, karma has a funny way of working!

reply to post by LrBc1275


You did the right thing friend, karma is good. You'll be surprised how the universe will work.

reply to post by 0Mark



Crazy the system harbors parasites like you sir/miss.

I hope you don't and wont have any children. So your genetics wont continue to affect humanity you sick *&^%.


THE OP DID GREAT

reply to post by LrBc1275


I was with my wife and kids at the mall at the food court having lunch.
Next to us was a group of women and kids who got up and left.
When we were done I looked to make sure all of our things were accounted for and I noticed a purse on a chair next to us.
The group next to us had forgotten it. So I said to my wife let's take it with us and when we see a security guard we'll return it.

We walked through the mall for a bit. Saw a guard and told him we found a purse. As the security guard and I were looking for ID in the purse. The owner came up asking if anyone found a purse. We compared ID to the lady and it was her.

In the purse was her ID, cell phone, credit cards, passport and over 1 thousand dollars in cash.

She was so relieved to get her purse back that she gave us 100 dollars.

I believe in Karma. And sometimes when you do the right thing and expect nothing in return you get something good in return.

reply to post by LrBc1275

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

Moneys?

I would have taken the money out, and left the wallet with a nearby clerk to contact the owner.

Then I would have taken that $200, turned it into $500, and anonymously mail the $200 + a $50 bonus to the owner. (I would include a note saying, "Thanks for the business loan, Tyrone!")

No kids, this is not a morally acceptable response...
My screen name is Derek, and that's just how I roll.

take the cash, always - because some people really dont care and dont say "thank you"...and if s/he wants to give you something just refuse it...

reply to post by LrBc1275

For me it really would depend.. If someone lost their wallet in front of me, i would defintiely pick it up and give it back. But if i found one laying on street i would probably take the cash and then return it, as i myself am so poor that i cannot even eat properly due to my financial situation.
I might be selfish, but this is just how things turn when you cant afford bills and proper food.

But this is just what i think i would do, since i have never found a wallet with cash laying around.

But i still think you did the right thing. I am just not so sure i would do the right thing if my financial situation is like it is now.

Depends if she was good looking or not. If so I would of driven to her house personally to give it back to her. Otherwise, probably mail it or put it in a giant box and fedex it to her( i like to be silly)

The only thing I would have done differently is try to find the woman's phone number.

I was faced with a similar dilemma. I was called to repair a furnace thermostat wire. The owner, a married woman of thirty years, bragged about buying the unit last year for $7,500 from a competitor and never receiving a bill from the finance company.

It made me sick to hear a person bragging about stealing $7,500. I informed the owner of the other company who just happened to be giving a quote to another customer when I showed up to do the same thing. He was absolutely floored that I bothered to tell him.

How sad it is that we live in times that doing the right thing is not a simple reflex.

If i was to mail it back, I would have taken out the money I would have been out mailing it back

I'm trying to help them out, not let them become a burden on me.

Originally posted by LrBc1275
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???

With id? I would do what you did. With out id? My lucky day.

Originally posted by moondancer811
I find it interesting that you are getting all the responses from the people who think you did the right thing and not any from those who would have kept the money. Let's face it, I bet hundreds of people clicked on this thread, thought "hell ya I would keep the money" and moved on to the next thread.

If it were me I would have given the wallet to the receptionist at the ER. That would be the place the person who lost their wallet would have called first. If your having an emergency it would be pretty easy to leave a purse, coat, wallet ect. behind and after a couple hours realized it was gone and checked in with the ER.

The real question is, why did you not do that? Why did you take it home with you?

I did think of that at first. I did walk over to the (cough) "security" desk and by the looks and the way they were acting I probably wouldnt have trusted them with much of anything. Figured my best bet would be to send it directly to the woman.

What would I do? I admit, it depends on the circumstances. If I was in desperate need for money, say for food for my children....Or some other justification.... I may keep it.

I probably would not have thought of mailing it. Like you, I would not trust security to handle it....and the way I might find myself thinking is, at least I know what I would be spending it on...

Who knows what some one else might use it for?

But then,like you said, the lady was probably having a bad day as it was...Who knows. She may have needed that money to pay for some important procedure....

I guess I don't know. I would just have to see, after it happened to me. Does that make me greedy that I would consider keeping the money?

I don't know, I think that realistically, most would at least consider keeping it...Even if just for a few moments...

Oh, I remember this website I saw years ago. Some one would "drop" a wallet on the side walk and film it from a hidden camera. The project was to see just how many people would return it or keep it.

Here it is

www.wallettest.com...

Surprisingly( To me) 74 % of the people returned the wallets.

There is nothing worse than a filthy thief. you are one of the good people. And to the person who said if they had a lot of money and seemed rich they would keep it...shame on you! I'm too lazy to go back and look who posted that. Stealing is stealing is stealing...