What Would You do if you Found a Wallet Filled With Money?

@payout (3794)
United States
March 9, 2011 10:32am CST
My father and my Brother found a Wallet filled with money They look in the wallet and saw it had $700.. It had an ID and other important information the normal stuff. Let Remind you this was a shopping center. They thought to do the right thing, they waited until I guess someone looked curious and was looking for something. They Found the person. The Person was very Thankful and gave them a $20 bill. . Me: I would of done the same thing. Some of my Family members thought other wise since they said out of $700 he or she only gave you $20. They said they would of kept it. Still I think that would of been the right thing to do. What if I lost my wallet I would Love for someone to give it back to me.
7 people like this
38 responses
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
9 Mar 11
I would not have waited to find someone who looked curious. Though you can figure out who the person is by their id (picture) I would still rather take it to the customer service desk and leave my name and number with them so that if the person came to pick the wallet up and wanted to thank me they could. I just would feel awful if I ended up giving the wallet to the wrong person, after all just because the id is in the wallet with a picture doesn't mean the wallet belongs to the person in the picture.
2 people like this
@payout (3794)
• United States
9 Mar 11
Hey ComeCowgirl, Yeah So maybe thats how they did it haha.. never thought of it that way the ID helped them ID the person out but sometimes an ID photo can look very different haha.. LIke mines my old ID looked nothing like me haha. Yeah giving it to the customer service would of been nice as well but if you think about it sometimes its hard to trust people. IF they took it then they can blame it on you after they have yout number and stuff of the note you gave them and say where is my money. Better to me if you just give it to them in person. It would be awful if the money went into the wrong hands horrible really I would of felt bad as well... HUmmmm yeah thats possible about the ID photo,
@crazydaisy (3896)
• Canada
9 Mar 11
My friend found in ADM machine in the bank hundred dollars so he turn it in to the bank to see if somebody lost it he went back and ask they said yes and was happy they got it back "but"they didn't say who it be long to...I think they all went out for a good dinner the ones at the bank!!!! me I would have kept the money I found $20 dollars on the street which I feel I was lucky. cd
• Canada
9 Mar 11
I went and got my hair done and found out after I got it done I had to go to ADM machine to get the money to pay my hairdresser which was $20. but I got out $80 and left the rest behind all heard was come back you for got your money well the people was so nice about giving back to me it was in a store I thought they were saying I took something with out paying for it but no they were trying to give me my money back ....See there's alot honest people out there!!!! :) cd
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
9 Mar 11
Hey CrazyDaisy, I think if i would of found a small amount like $5-$50 bill I would keep I would also see it as luck if it was a $100 thats luck but I am sure someone will be looking fro it so i would return it haha.. Your Friend did the right thing haha.. I would of done the same thing haha.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
That's nice of them to do that consider, yeah there are a lot of nice people out there but bad ones too haha.. Hey without. All the action in worl it just might be boring haha..
1 person likes this
@betlynfrnds (4060)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Your father and brother did a great thing. Not only that, they did the right thing. In every circumstance, it's always right to return a lost item to its owner. I would do the exact same thing and would not expect anything in return. A good, clean conscience with my Loving Creator who is watching everthing I do would be payment enough for me. It's very nice to know that there are still honest people in this troubled world. Please tell your father and brother that I appreciate what they did.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey betlynfrnds, Yeah they did a really good thing, I would make sure I will tell them but yeah it's hard to find good people in this world filled with problems. I agree with you as long as I have a good conscience to me no reward is needed I will feel good because i got something done and did something to help someone.
• United States
10 Mar 11
That's how we show fellow feeling to our human family. There will always be more happiness in giving than recieving.
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Mar 11
I have done that a few times in my life. There was a couple of times where the person looked me in eye and asked did I TAKE ANYTHING OUT of the wallet? I said to that person No, I don't think so...let me check!lol As i walked away.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey ziyahahinc, OMG, so you took the wallet ? but I think some people will ask the question just to be safe. if you say no then let them check it. Everyone is different I wouldn't take it offensive.
• United States
10 Mar 11
No, I took a hike from that"Fool"!lol QUICK!!
• Canada
10 Mar 11
I know Ziyadachin, some people are complete a** and thankless. I wuold have probably said, may be I should have taken everything and put your wallet in garbage but it felt like there was nothing in it and so I decided to bring it back to you, hehe. I know nobody wants to stoop as low as the other person you did the right thing. Some jerks! gosh I am already fuming.
@rosegardens (3034)
• United States
9 Mar 11
That is awesome. I would have mailed it to the person. Unfortunately if one turns it in to the lost and found, the money may end up going into someone else's pocket. Good for your father and brother to wait for the person to give them the wallet. You have a very good upbringing! May God bless your family, and please be good for your fathers sake. He is a very good parent and deserves to have the best behaved and honest children.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
9 Mar 11
Hey RoseGardens, Yeah My Father is a very, Faithful and Honest person he is usually always a happy person. Thank you for your blessing. Believe me I love my Father and my Mother with all my Heart. I told them they did the right and best thing. I dont know how I will react if I lost $700 but if someone gave it back to me It will be warming to know people really care.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Mar 11
That poor fellows day was made for sure, with someone handing him back what he had lost. I would feel the same; the sick feeling of losing something of so much value is quite unsettling. I imagine your family is a very happy one because they are honest and good.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
9 Mar 11
I am sure the Guy or Girl ( I dont remember if they mention if it was a man or women) Well yeah I am sure that made there day. I would consider my Family Good people to me everyone has there Evil side especially when they get mad haha.. Good People but only human..
@sweet_pea (3322)
• Philippines
10 Mar 11
I would have done the same thing. I really wouldn't like spending money I haven't worked for it. I think to have that much money, the man must have worked so hard. What if that money is to be used for an ailing mother or to send his children to school? I don't think I want to carry that in my conscience. Besides, It really gives us a good feeling that we did something good and another person appreciates that even without you asking for any reward.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey sweet oea, That's good for you I would of done the same thing. Yeah if I would of sound the oney even though I won't spend just thinking about the person who work so hard and maybe use that money to pay the rent or mortgage and they lost there home because they are always a month behind and can't eat and have no where to go. So yeah I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Yeah. They didn't ask but the guy or lady just gave it to them :) for a thank you.
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey if everyone thought that way then, then the world would be boring haha.. It's good that people are like that but the bad pele make like crazy and watchable. Jus imagine everyone being nice.l boring haha just thinking out loud
@sweet_pea (3322)
• Philippines
10 Mar 11
Yeah. We should live by the golden rule. Do unto others what you like others do unto you. Well we can only just hope that when we get in a situation when we also lost our wallets, somebody would be kind enough to give it back.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Having had my purse and wallet stolen out of my hotel room while I was sleeping one night, I know how it is to lose everything. I think I would always try to find the owner of the wallet even if it cost me $700. If that was your life savings, you would want it back. I know I would. If I was in a shopping center, I would have taken it to customer service and left it there since I probably wouldn't want to wait around for someone to look for it.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
11 Mar 11
I guess if there was identification in the wallet, you could contact the person by phone in order to return it to the person. I know how it goes to trust or not to trust people. Since my things were stolen from a hotel room while we were sleeping, I make sure the door is shut tight before I go to sleep and I double lock it as well. If I step out to go to the ice machine, I make sure I take the key and close the door. I either hide my laptop under the bed or now I take it with me when I go for appointments. That will be more important in the future because most of my appointments will be for chemo and will last 3-4 hours. Have a great day!!!
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey Daeckardt, Wow sorry to hear that but I understand you completely if I had something taken away from me all my hard work and money spent to have the things I need like a ID and etc is gone. That must be a horrible feeling. Customer Service is okay but I dont trust everyone I work in the Customer Service Field and some of them can be tricky and take your money and blame it on you or something if you can trust yourself then you hold it but if you cant give it to someone you do trust. Some people just cant help themselves especially when it involves money and a lot of it haha
1 person likes this
@zweeb82 (5653)
• Malaysia
10 Mar 11
Well, the objective is to give the wallet back to it's rightful owner, whether $20 is too little or too much it's the owner's right to give. The ones who thought otherwise on what the owner did only shows how greedy / immature they were. That $700 could just be someone else's money he's keeping for / about to return / emergency use, etcWe must always remember what goes around comes around. If we would never want such misfortune to happen to us, so.....you know what I was about to say
@zweeb82 (5653)
• Malaysia
11 Mar 11
Yup, a thank you would be much appreciated & the $20 just a bonus. Even if there's really no thank you coming from the owner's side, at least we've done our part & our conscience is clear.
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey zweeb, Yeah that is the true objective in the end. To me a Thank you is enough to make me happy and the face of the thankfulness of the person would be great. The money woudl of been a nice gift thank you gift but not needed. The $700 i am sure was for something very important and some people would just took it other would of done the right thing. Yeah Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Always be Thankful.
1 person likes this
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
10 Mar 11
I would like to think I would do as your brother and father did and give it back. I think I would but you don't really know for sure unless you are in that situation. I was thinking, I would turn it in at Customer Service if it were a store, but after reading other posts, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea! I think maybe mailing it back or calling them (if that info is in there) would be the best way. The reward doesn't matter. Even if $20. doesn't seem like much, it is more than you had before. It is really to show you are thankful. I had a rebate check sent to the wrong address and the women took the time to find me and notify me. I was VERY thankfull.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey Cerebellum, Yeah you are right if we all were in the situation had $700 in our hands and just was wondering. I think it would cross your mind and some people might think twice but we all know the right thing to do. Customer Service may not bee the best Idea but its an idea. the Thank you is a good enough reward and it the Money is extra but not needed lol. Hard to find good people like the lady that give you your rebate some people would kept it especially if they send it in a visa or master card. Im thankful to run into good people that not only think about themselves but others as well
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Mar 11
There are a lot of good people out there. Bad too. I am disabled, and everytime I go out, I get a few offers of help. So I run into the good ones a lot and it makes me feel good about humanity as a whole.
@aeiou78 (3445)
• Malaysia
11 Mar 11
For me, I should not accept the $20.00 as a rewards because I were willing to return the $700.00 to the person who lost and found his wallet. As long as he showed his sincere to say thank to me, I should be satisfied because I were helping him to recover his money to survive.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
11 Mar 11
Hey aeiou, hey great mines think a like I too would just taken a thank you and not the reward but i think e reward was a plus and consider it as a plus. I sort of think it's mean to not accept a gift from someone. So I would of said no but taken it but i would also said your thank you was enough then gave it back. I too would be happy that I made someones day that day
• Slovenia
10 Mar 11
hmm actually this answer can be two sided since it depends on a situation you're in. for example someone may find a wallet with some cash and if they're poor or could really use this cash I think they'd go for it rather than return it which I kind of think is okay, though it's not right, but you never know, someone may have been saved of putting some food in their mouth by finding the money and if it was my money and they'd at least return my documents I'd be kind of glad I could've helped, so money didn't get in total waste after thinking you're not gonna see ur wallet ever again. on the other hand it's not right, but sometimes we find ourselves in difficult sitaions, so I really can't tell you what I'd do right now, but I think I'd most probably choose the way your father did since I'm all for honesty as well. At least he got 'awarded' with some of that cash, so it wasn't all for nothing right, plus I'm sure those people were glad the wallet has returned to them and that there are still some good people like your father that exist in situations like this.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey ap0calptic, Good that your honest but my other told me God will take from the evil and give it to his people. So she sees that everything haooensfor a reason and I understood but i think I would still dote right thing in the end. Nice to give to e poor but yeah if it was. A homeless person or a poor person then they would of ran with the wallet I am sure
• Slovenia
11 Mar 11
exactly. and if that was the case as I said I'd be kind of happy I could help themeven though not directly. you may be right about that, but yeah everything happens for a reason and of course to do the right thing is the best thing you can do even though you may get into delicate situations like this one sometimes.
10 Mar 11
If i found a wallet then no matter what it had in it i would make sure that i did all i could to get it back to the rightful owner. If the wallet had the persons identification in then aslong as it wasn't too far away then i would take it to the persons house and give it to them. If there is no identification in the wallet at all then i would take it to my local police station. They keep hold of things for a set time just incase anybody claims it, if there was identification in then the police could also give it back to it's original owner, however, if there is no identification and if nobody goes into the police station to claim this wallet then i think it is about once 6 months have passed by without it being collected if i was the one that handed it in i then have a legal right to keeping the wallet and what is in it.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey Craigy, I didn't know that you had the legal right to keep what ever is in the wallet money wise after 6 months thats different, Yeah if there is a ID in there then it would be very easy to find the person and stuff. and Have there home address if they still live there. Without an ID that would be pretty hard it would be like looking for someone who looks curious and looking for something. Bad feeling
10 Mar 11
Hi payout, Yes, i am not that sure of the length of time, it certainly is no longer than 6 months. It is a case of we have done our duty by handing it in, we don't have to but i am an honest person, if the details of the owner is in the wallet then i may get something from them, but for me a thankyou is enough, it is a scary thing to lose your wallet, especially if there is a lot of money in there. If the wallet is not claimed then it does allow us to keep it and all that is in as otherwise it would just get destroyed, i think 6 months is long enough for the person to report it missing or atleast see if anyone has handed it in. Point is nowadays i think many people would not give it back to the owner even if there is ID in the wallet, if no ID i doubt they would take it to the police station, people nowadays would possibly just take all the cash and maybe the cards and bin the wallet. A shame that there aren't many decent honest people around. I would hate to lose my wallet, not just because of the money i would have in there and my cards, but i would lose things like my driving licence also, but the main thing would be a picture of my son, that means the world to me, so i would hope if i lost my wallet then somebody who is decent and honest would return it to me.
@Jlyn10 (11966)
• Malaysia
10 Mar 11
The right thing to do is to return it to the owner. I usually put myself in their position and know how I would feel if I had lost the wallet. At least the person gave $20 as a reward which is better than nothing at all.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
hey Jlyn10, Yeah To me the reward is nice but I would rather have a Thank you rather then some money because it would make me feel good and feeling good wins money over any day. Yeah I was al ways told to treat people the way you would like to be treated and, My parents told me this and my father took that into effect and he got an reward out of it.
@Jlyn10 (11966)
• Malaysia
11 Mar 11
Of course we adult don't need the reward, but some kids are looking forward to receive at least something, to them a reward is just like a praise for doing a good deed.
13 Mar 11
if i found money i'll give it to the police maybe they can found the man who has the wallet.. especially when there is ID card and important thing beside...
1 person likes this
@goldeneagle (6745)
• United States
10 Mar 11
If the wallet contained an ID card with an address on it, as this one did, I would have taken it to the address on the ID card in an attempt to locate the person. I would make an effort to locate the person, but if I could not find them, I would keep the money. I certainly would not turn it over to the police, or to anyone else, because they would probably just pocket the money and toss the wallet in the trash as soon as I left the police station...
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey Goldeneagle, I agree with you on the police part and sometimes people even the police with that much money will just keep it. Yeah I am sure the ID would give the address but if it had no ID and just money in there and cant locate people. Then I would of kept it as well. Other then that I would find the person who it belongs to.
@K46620 (1986)
• United States
10 Mar 11
I'd look for the owner and return it. My conscience won't let me do it any other way.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey K46620, Yeah That is a good idea to look for the person but Me I would do the same but if I cant find them and since the wallet had an ID in there I will go to the house and give it to them.. Yeah If you dont give it that would always be on your conscience
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Mar 11
I would have done the same thing. I believe in what comes around goes around. Hope you have a great day
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey nenaandtrey, Yeah that was very nice of my father and brother but yeah that's that's good that you will do same thing you are right and I believe the same thing what comes around goes around. How you treat people is the way you should be treated. You also have a great day and take care
@violann (436)
• United States
10 Mar 11
I would give the wallet back, although it would be tempting to keep it (have to be honest here) That 700.00 could've been bill money, as we all know 700.00 doesn't go to far when you have a mortgage (rent), car pymnt, insurance, utilities, etc. etc. and I think it was nice of that person to give 20.00 they could've just said thank you and walked away without giving anything.
@payout (3794)
• United States
11 Mar 11
Hey violann, That's good that you are honest haha believe me your not alone I think anyone would of thought twice lol. yeah that money could of been bill money. Even though like you said it doesn't cover everything but it will cover a good fraction of it. But it was for the people to give $20.
• Pakistan
10 Mar 11
I will try to find the owner but if I can't find the owner then I will have fun LOL. I will go to a party with my friends. I will find the owner for a specific time I think I would like to find the owner for an hour or two only. LOL
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey Cervine, If I found the Owner then that would of been great. With no ID or additional information it would be hard to find them If there was no wallet and I just foudn the money I would keep it. haha. I would give it some good time. days maybe haha. or a month at the most
• Canada
10 Mar 11
So nice of your father and brother. I would have done the same as well. No matter what, if anybody is looking, anybody knows about what we do but we have to make sure that it's US we have to reply to rather than anybody else. I would be worried about the person who's wallet I found, thinking all sorts of things, what was the money for and what he needed it urgently etc. I think the person did the right thing by giving $20 to your father and son, some people are nasty and start screaming that there was more money in the wallet. We should appreciate what we get in life and not to forget we get what we give to others.
1 person likes this
@payout (3794)
• United States
10 Mar 11
Hey tiwari, Yeah my father and brother did the good thing and yeah I think the same way I am sure the person is going crazy. I am sure the money was in use for something important. $700 is a good amount. A thank you would of been nice for me the money would of been just a plus. Just to see the person reaction and face of happiness. If the person starts to scream then..... Wow.. I dont know hahaha.. But we should appreciate those that appreciates the important things in life.