How much would it take...?

[Michael Swayne]

Hypothetical question:

Let's say you are walking down the sidewalk. As you are walking past an unoccupied house, you look down at said sidewalk. You see a piece of paper. You do a double-take, and notice it is some currency. You know that you should take it to the authorities just in case whoever lost it filed a claim for it.

Here's the question: If you found some money, what amount would it take for you to report it?

I have recently found money. I will not disclose how much I found until more votes come in. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here, or VM/PM me.

[Pug]

£100. If its any less than that, unless its some homeless guy, they ain't going to the police station anyway. Then again no homeless guy would be that stupid. ($200)

Edit: ok maybe if it was over £50 ($200). But you didn't give an option for that

[Victoria]

What would it take for me to report it? Um.. I'd say a full wad that amounted to a thousand dollars, or perhaps an opened full briefcase.

If it was just a single bill of 1, 5, 10, 20, or 100.. I'd take it.

[Yoko]

What would it take for me to report it? Um.. I'd say a full wad that amounted to a thousand dollars, or perhaps an opened full briefcase.

If it was just a single bill of 1, 5, 10, 20, or 100.. I'd take it.

^This.

I have lost money to random occurrences. I eventually get it back in one way or another. It's the world's way of paying you back.

If it's upwards of thousands, report it. It might pay off to you in the long run. You may even be able to keep it if it's unclaimed.

[Rowan]

Why is it the more the money, the more you would consider reporting it? CA-CHING. I believe in a non-spiritual karma. If I was to return a wallet, then person who was to recieve their lost wallet would somehow feel obliged to do the same one day if they find themselves in the same situation. Im cynical enough in nature to believe that even if I was to display such honestly, that it would not be returned to me directly. So I would take the money on any chance occurance and if needed to, assure myself that I deserve it and make the best of it. Perhaps if it helps me become rich, I would most certainly donate to worthy charity.

[Pug]

Why is it the more the money, the more you would consider reporting it? CA-CHING. I believe in a non-spiritual karma. If I was to return a wallet, then person who was to recieve their lost wallet would somehow feel obliged to do the same one day if they find themselves in the same situation. Im cynical enough in nature to believe that even if I was to display such honestly, that it would not be returned to me directly. So I would take the money on any chance occurance and if needed to, assure myself that I deserve it and make the best of it. Perhaps if it helps me become rich, I would most certainly donate to worthy charity.

My views on this are extremely complex and I am unable to explain them but I will try.

Along this lines of thinking I would return it regardless of the amount. You don't personally lose anything that wasn't yours to begin with. If all your looking for is to be rewarded yourself or rewarded in an eye for an eye manner, rather than the rewards of other people that is personal gain and goes against my morals concerning the intergrity of many things society and humans need to co-exist and be happy. I would have to hand it in. Also you can't say I won't be nice because the other person might not be nice back because of similar reasons.

Although like I posted, noone is going to check for a less than significant amount of money.

[Rowan]

My views on this are extremely complex and I am unable to explain them but I will try.

Along this lines of thinking I would return it regardless of the amount. You don't personally lose anything that wasn't yours to begin with. If all your looking for is to be rewarded yourself or rewarded in an eye for an eye manner, rather than the rewards of other people that is personal gain and goes against my morals concerning the intergrity of many things society and humans need to co-exist and be happy. I would have to hand it in. Also you can't say I won't be nice because the other person might not be nice back because of similar reasons.

Although like I posted, noone is going to check for a less than significant amount of money.

One would concur than any briefcase full of money left lying somewhere (probably expecting to be found) is more than likely an illegal scenario involving drug money. By taking this money im doing the world a favor. Theres no way to determine that though. So it really doesnt matter. I morally dont see anything wrong with keeping money I find in random places. If I knew who it belonged to, I would most definitly return it to them. Those are my morals and they are something I pride myself on.

[motscroises]

I want to say that I'd keep it, but I'd probably feel sick over that I wouldn't it if it was anything more than $50, and it would have to be a single bill for me to keep it. I really wish I could stomach keeping missing money though, I could really use some cash :/

[Pug]

One would concur than any briefcase full of money left lying somewhere (probably expecting to be found) is more than likely an illegal scenario involving drug money. By taking this money im doing the world a favor. Theres no way to determine that though. So it really doesnt matter. I morally dont see anything wrong with keeping money I find in random places. If I knew who it belonged to, I would most definitly return it to them. Those are my morals and they are something I pride myself on.

If it was obviously drug money or something )) But a random wallet on the floor with $200 n it? Thats just possible and unknown

[Michael Swayne]

Okay, I think we can safely assume that I did not find a briefcase full of money. I found a single piece of paper currency. It was not in a wallet/billfold/purse, just casually laying on the sidewalk.

The evil in me wants to say that if it was a briefcase full of money that I would NOT be here posting a thread about it.

That's why I don't let the evil in me out.

EDIT: The office staff at my place of business suggested that it WAS some hoodlums drug money. Where I found it was at a pretty shifty neighborhood at an unoccupied house. However, the rain that came today would have no doubt removed all physical evidence of fingerprints, drug residue, etc. The bill was soaked when I placed it in my pocket

[Pug]

Okay, I think we can safely assume that I did not find a briefcase full of money. I found a single piece of paper currency. It was not in a wallet/billfold/purse, just casually laying on the sidewalk.

The evil in me wants to say that if it was a briefcase full of money that I would NOT be here posting a thread about it.

That's why I don't let the evil in me out.

EDIT: The office staff at my place of business suggested that it WAS some hoodlums drug money. Where I found it was at a pretty shifty neighborhood at an unoccupied house. However, the rain that came today would have no doubt removed all physical evidence of fingerprints, drug residue, etc. The bill was soaked when I placed it in my pocket

Ah just take it man. With whatever reasoning you use noones gonna go looking for it. Even if they did they'd know it probably isn't worth the effort anyway, and would know you'd be going out of yours and the cops way turning it in. Just isn't worth it. Keep it. Chances of someone going to look for it are next to 0. Unless your country has some massive money note that people walk around with every day

[Alpha]

$20 or less, I'd keep. I actually dropped a $20 bill two weeks ago. Spent half an hour looking for it. Was pretty pissed off, but I don't care now, and maybe someone more scrapped for cash than I am found it.

If $50 or more, I'd take it into the nearest shop, and say I found it outside. I know that if people do that at my work, we hang on to them in envelopes with information about where/when it was found. We take the name of the person who found it, and after a few weeks without being claimed, we'll give them a call and give it to them.

If they refuse to take it, we give it to someone who comes through (I work in a supermarket) and gets to the checkout and finds they're going to have to cut down on food for their kids because they don't have enough money.

So if you find money like that, supermarkets are a good option.

[The Doctor]

I've actually been part of an experiment concerning this. It was only a fiver, found it on the floor, but I turned it in.(this was at my job) Not because I wanted a pat on the head, or I thought it was an amount that was important to someone or because it was "the right thing to do". Just not interested in A) cashing in on that kind of karma. B) Money.

When I say, not interested in money, I mean that I don't really consume the stuff like a glutton. I don't have a pressing need for it and it seems that any surplus money that I have(more than I need) gets wasted. Well it turned out that my boss did this as an experiment and gave me the fiver I turned in, plus four more. Irony also comes in useless flavors.

[The_Dream_Recluse]

If it was less than two hundred bucks i'd probably keep it. However, if we're talking about a lump sum of money (talking several hundreds of dollars plus), i'd feel obligated to report it. That's a fair lot of money to have misplaced/lost.

[NikkiLinkle]

I found $5 at work once. I asked everyone if it was theirs and they all said it wasn't. So I kept it lol. It was enough to get the train home!

When I was 10, I found $20, I told my mum and she said I could keep it. I bought a lot of lollies that day.

I found a wallet, with $90 in it. It was at the arcade, someone dropped it underneath one of those car racing machines. I handed it in to manager and he gave me free games for the rest of the day! Score!

I voted for $50 or more. Unless I know who it might belong too.

[Maridia]

If I find any loose money on the street I'm taking it. Short of seeing a guy on the other side of the street looking at the ground with the look of having a heart attack on his face. In which case I'd ask what he's looking for. You don't say "Are you looking for a hundred dollar bill?" You keep it vague so he has to specify to show it's no bullshit.

Now if you find a wallet on the ground you leave everything intact. This of course goes for it having an ID. In which case you check the persons address and go from there.

EDIT: I had this customer last year be a real prick for no reason. And as he was walking out I saw he dropped a $20. But funny I charge for the asshole tax, so it came back to me.

Conversely I've had some lady as old as Christ with glasses drop her money since it was in a wad. But I told her she dropped a couple bills.

So remember always be nice to the guy ringing you up.

[loaf]

If it's under 10k I'll take it no problems. Once it's over 10k, reporting it or not, more and likely someone is going to be visiting you asking about it. People love their money.

[Unknown Entity]

What would it take for me to report it? Um.. I'd say a full wad that amounted to a thousand dollars, or perhaps an opened full briefcase.

If it was just a single bill of 1, 5, 10, 20, or 100.. I'd take it.

This too.

I've lost money and property before, and I never got it back. If I found small change to about £100, I'd call it fair game. If you were carrying £100 on you and you lost it, you obviously wasn't being too careful. I'd consider even keeping above that for the same reason.

If it was a lot of money, I'd turn it in. We're talking a few hundred pounds, in elastic bands and/or a leather-bound suitcase.

At work, sometimes we find change around the tills - on the floor at the front, in the bag area where it might've fallen through the counter, etc... I always turn that in, no matter how big or small. I give it to the manager, and if the tills are down by anything, they keep it - if not, they give it back to me. Finders keepers and all that.

[Lily]

if it was like, 20 quid, id just keep it, ive lost money loads of times and just written it off as being an idiot, whoever finds it deserves to keep it because im a thick ****er and cant keep my money in my pocket.

Im not sure what amount it would take for me to think i better hand this in, im pretty sure even a hundred quid i wouldnt bother going reporting id lost it, so id just assume anyone else would be the same

Maybe anything over a few hundred...

i found a tenner once in a bar, i was ****ing having that.

[Clint]

If I find money, I don't care how much it is, I'm keeping it. Obviously if the original owner of said money actually wanted it, he or she would have taken better care of it.

[Maridia]

This is also why I never carry cash. It's always safer in the bank.

[Michael Swayne]

I didn't vote in the poll until just now. I was anxious to see what everyone else thought before I would respond.

I thank you all for reassuring me of my decision. I decided to keep the money, and I didn't want to feel horrible about it, especially in these enconomic hardtimes.

I voted "100", but I didn't find that much.

I found $10.

I was always taught that if you find money, no matter what amount, you should return it to who it belonged to. Either that or report it.

Obviously, I did not do it. I have been strapped for cash for the last 17 months, so this was fortune smiling on me. I was just wondering what everyone here thought about this topic.

[Aerif]

Personally if I lost anything up to £20, I wouldn't go to the local police station looking for it since I wouldn't expect anyone to have handed it in. I don't know how I'd feel about finding a £20 note though, since I have never had the chance.

Once I found a wallet outside the train station, and my dad took it to the police station (since he'd given me a ride to the train station), I didn't even consider looking inside it so I have no idea if there was any cash in it. I also found a wallet filled with euros in a Spanish hotel, but I brought it to the reception and never heard anything about it afterwards.

£50 notes are pretty uncommon though, so I think people would be more inclined to search for them more carefully if they happened to misplace them. I can't even remember what a £100 note looks like, and I think one of those types of note aren't even found outside of Scotland.

[Michael Swayne]

While working today, I found a wallet. As the name on the ID card was on my way, I went to the house. Turns out, the guy doesn't even live there. So I took it to my office to report.

I guess it is a good thing one of my coworkers knows the guy. She called him and told him that his wallet was found.

I didn't even look inside it for how much was in it. Grandma said that I should have, just in case the guy says that I stole anything. All I saw before I closed it (it was raining and I wanted to finish my work), was the guy's ID card and lots of other cards.

I guess I should have looked inside, in retropsect.

[seanb]

If I found a lump of cash I'd go get some hookers and charlie

but if I earned a lump of cash, I'd save some of it and buy my mother a gift with the rest

[Cheesevixen]

Now and days too many people are allowed to be dumb, and many of them are dumb because people allow them to be that way. So I would take the money and hope they learned a valuable lesson. Sorry, but if you are dumb enough to drop it than it's up for grabs. It's called survival of the fittest, and they FAILED.

[Cyanist]

Let's be specific, where is this money found? If it's in front of a bank, you can assume someone withdrew it recently, next to a charity box? (tempting) A junkyard? (dirty)
my choice:
Junkyard: just take it (the junkyard owner would do the same).
bank: report it to bank manager.
near charity box: drop it in.