What would you do?

[spindles]

It is nice to see that honesty still exists in this world.

http://smh.com.au/news/national/niet...982163284.html

What would you do, if you found such a sizable sum of money?

I would think greedy thoughts....then hand the money in.

[BigBen]

Come on, folks, put the article in here, not just a link!

Niet to finder's reward
By Selma Milovanovic
September 22, 2005 - 1:21PM

A young man, who turned in $10,000 he found in the street, will get no reward.

Jatendra Chirag, 24, was on his way to work in Melbourne yesterday afternoon when he saw bundles of cash peeping out of an envelope by the side of Dandenong Road in Malvern.

Mr Chirag couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him was $10,000, neatly bundled in $100 notes.

"I was surprised, I was shocked. The first thing I thought was it might be fake money. It's unusual to see money in $100 notes," he said.

The customer service officer from Malvern picked up the money and took it to work, but he was always clear about what he would do - return the money to police in the hope it would get back to its owner.

"Put it this way - if I had lost 10 grand, how would I feel? I would be devastated. I wouldn't like someone else to be in that situation. I just wanted to return that money to whom it belonged, that was all."

Mr Chirag didn't tell anyone at work about his find. After work, just before midnight, he rushed to Malvern police station.

Meanwhile, an elderly Malvern man had reported to police that he had lost $10,000 he had just withdrawn from the Commonwealth Bank in Carnegie. The money fell out of his pocket when he tripped near the corner of Station Street and Dandenong Road.

The man, who is in his 60s and spoke only Russian, was using a walking frame. Police had to call an interpreter to help the man explain what had happened.

The man was ecstatic when police phoned him but offered Mr Chirag no reward.

But the lucky finder said the thought of a reward never crossed his mind.

"I feel good that I did the right thing ... he must have worked a lot of years for that money," Mr Chirag said.

Acting Sergeant Andrew Twining of Malvern Police said the cash stash had shocked police. "It's terrific. We don't normally get large sums of money. We get wallets containing small amounts of money handed in. But to have a sum of this quantity handed in just renews your faith in people."

What would I do? Turn it in, and if the person wanted to give me a reward, I would have them donate the reward amount to the local food bank in my name. That way, everyone wins.

[present_future]

I think I would turn the money in as well, but I think I would also expect some sort of reward for it. If I was the person who lost $10,000 I would be ecstatic to have it returned I would definitely give something to the person who returned it.

[Jinn]

I'd take it and run.

"Put it this way - if I had lost 10 grand, how would I feel? I would be devastated. I wouldn't like someone else to be in that situation. I just wanted to return that money to whom it belonged, that was all."

I have a VERY hard time believing that an HONEST (law-abiding, genuine, caring) person just happens to be carrying $10,000 around in $100 bills. Additionally, someone who could be so careless as to LOSE a BUNDLE of $10,000 likely has tons more.

Call it greedy or call it resourceful (I prefer the latter) I'd keep anything over $1000 that I found.

[BigBen]

My grandmother had over 60,000 in $100 bills in her purse when we put her in a home. She lived through the depression, and did not trust banks.

We wondered why she always had her purse with her. When she ate, when she slept, always. We finally found out and opened up a savings account for her.

The guy in this story is probably in the same position.

[Charlatan]

Many older people, and many recent immigrants still deal in cash.

It's what they know. Cash.


As for what I would do? I'd like to say I would just turn it in... and I probably would but I would have to do a lot of thinking before I did the right thing... 10K would be very useful in my life right now.

[Mojo_PeiPei]

As the great Lionel Hutz once said , " Your honor, I'd like to refer to the cash of finders vs. Keepers".

[aberkok]

I'd be extremely tempted to take the money, but I'm ashamed to admit I'd return it out of fear of repercussions. I guess I'd also ask myself what it felt like to lose that amount. I'd also expect some kind of reward because, after all, isn't a few hundred bucks a small price to pay for $10 000?

As far as whether the owner was an old fashioned cash carrier or a shady mogul, that shouldn't matter. It's possible to decide what the right thing to do is regardless. Just because he's stinkin' rich, doesn't make it right to take his money.

[guthmund]

Lionel Hutz...

I'd like to think I've made of better stuff, but the truth is, I'm probably not. Losing $20 is one thing, losing $10,000 is quite another, so, if you can't keep up with your bricks of cash, I'll be more than happy to keep up with them for you.

If I see someone drop it, most times, I'll give it back. If it's just anonymous money, I'll usually keep it unless I'm with someone then I split the proceeds to keep them quiet.

[AngelicVampire]

Depends how I felt at the time, though £10,000 is harder to explain away than £10 or £20... probably would return it.

Though as for no reward that seems a little harsh, the guy could have kept the 10 grand and walked off instead he returned it. Might seem a little mercenary but people with an incentive to be good (say $500 for returning it or heck even $100) will tend to be good more often, if you make it basically a policy to ensure that its worth people's while to do/not do something then they will tend to do it (feel good + reward tugs most people's strings)

Ohh well off to not spend $10,000 (wish I had that kind of money, could pay off my debt!)

[Glory's Sun]

I'd buy dru... umm pay some bills off.

Finders Keepers ..

yup.. the OP said it was nice to see honesty..and I'm givin it to ya.

[MooseMan3000]

I would agree with people who said that he carried all the money around because he didn't trust banks... except he had just withdrawn it from the bank.

Seriously, though, who needs $10000 in cash? I have a hard time believing it was something legitimate. That doesn't really justify keeping the money, but I wouldn't feel as bad knowing it came from a crook

[Mr Honest]

I've found a wallet with plenty of money in and handed it in.
I felt a fool afterwards though (this was when I was 18).
I'd still hand it in now but if the finder didn't offer any kind of reward that they are a mean git!

[bad jane]

i'd turn it in. i'm a dumbass i know, but i just couldn't bring myself to keep it. a reward would be nice, but even without it i couldn't keep the money.

[Poppinjay]

The truth? I'd hand in all $9500 of it.

Anonymously, of course.

ATMs charge up to $3 to make their little computer spit out $20. This kind of personal service deserves a bit more compensation.

I had something sorta similar happen in my single days. A woman dropped her wallet and checkbook in a grocery store parking lot. I looked at the ID, it was an attractive young woman, single, new to town who worked for the same place I did. She was no longer at the store, so I thought about taking it by her house, but then I thought that might make me look suspicious.

So I took it in to the store. The pizza faced git took it, smiled big, called the woman and said, "Miss X, I've found your wallet!" Never said a dang word to me.

From now on, service fees must be paid.

[tspikes51]

I'd turn in $8,000 or so. I would first get some repairs on my car (new rim, marker, and lug studs for the front passenger side, new rear bumper panel, and new air compressor), repair my brother's PSP, and keep about $500 for a backup fund.

[maleficent]

karma is way too much of a bitch... my luck is already crappy... i couldn't keep it - -fate would get me but good.

Am I honest? For the most part, yes. Am I trustworthy? Absolutely... But guilt is a bigger motivator for me, if I kept the money, I'd always wonder what happened to the person who lost it (even if the money was gotten illegally)

It's not mine, i didn't earn it, or win it, or be given it, it's not mine to keep.

[Johnny Pyro]

I'd keep it. It's alot of money and I don't think I could return it. I got a dog to feed!

[micah67]

I'd turn it in - no questions. And if I didn't get a reward, no problem; I figure Karma evens things out in the end. The bottom line is, *I'd* sleep better at night.

[Elphaba]

"I took $10,000 that wasn't mine" would haunt me forever. I would have to turn it in.

[Warf Rat]

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I don't think I would turn it in right away.
I would probably run through all the thought processes above, and then worry about getting caught, That said, it's got to be tough to accually give it back.

I don't think I would.

The guilt would go away. Probably as soon as the money ran out.

[World's King]

I'd keep it.

There is no way in hell I would give that back. I need a new scooter.

[canuckguy]

I would seriously consider keeping it, but..... Luckily at this time I don't need the money so I would probably turn the money in. I would though keep some of it as a finder’s fee......100-2000$...........doh probably not, the guilt would get to me. I would turn the money in, hope for a finder’s fee. If no finder’s fee was given like the story above, then I would hunt the bastard down and retake the money......well maybe not.


What a jackass for no finder’s fee. Talk about ungrateful. I have no idea what the percentage would be for people keeping it, but if you just lost 10g's and you only got 100 bucks back I still think you would be lucky, let alone the full 10g's. Idiot for carry and then losing that much money.


edit-terrible spelling!

[maskedrider]

I would also do the right thing..I'd give back the money.

[smackson]

I don't think that I would return it. As the old saying goes FINDERS KEEPERS.

On another note if you found a very expensive necklace, would you turn it in or keep it? If you would keep that, but not the money then what is the difference.

[ryfo]

I would turn it in, and the fact that there was no reward? Karma works for everybody so the owner may have to be careful.

[StiNg]

I would keep it all.

[Karby]

i'd probably think about it first...
but then i'd return it.

[Poppinjay]

I can take a $500 karma hit. I absolutely believe in karma, but I do my part by helping turtles cross busy streets.

[Glory's Sun]

Originally Posted by ryfo

I would turn it in, and the fact that there was no reward? Karma works for everybody so the owner may have to be careful.

does it for those of us who don't believe in that karma stuff??


Like I said before, I'd keep it. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes .... or 300

[Martian]

For me it would depend on how badly I needed the money. Right now I'm not getting any contracts and my Joe Job just doesn't pay enough. I'm pretty hard up and $10 000 would be enough to pay all my bills for several months.

Were I in a good financial position (ie, making more than I'm paying out, which is simply not the case right now) I'd give it back. If I don't need it, I don't want it. And a new plasma tv isn't a need, as much as I might try to convince myself otherwise sometimes.

[Senor Roboto]

I actually went through a situation semi-similair to this recently. I found a case of CD's on the side of the road, and they contained probably like 200+ bought CD's, so as we all know thats a huge investment. But since I had no idea what to do with them...I kept em.

I can't imagine not keeping 10,000 dollars. I mean, thats such a huge amount of cash, I would be kicking myself for not keeping it, feeling lucky, and paying off some bills.

[Zeraph]

Haha, this just goes to show how paranoid I am. I wouldn't even touch it, I'd call the police and tell them (thinking of mofia, counterfitting, drug dealers, or other criminals it might belong to, though I admit it could equally be an innocent old person or immigrant that lost it). Either way I wouldn't keep it.

[spindles]

Originally Posted by Martian

Were I in a good financial position (ie, making more than I'm paying out, which is simply not the case right now) I'd give it back.

This is a very telling comment - if I desperately needed 10K and found it, I would be much more tempted to keep it. Having said that, if I desperately needed that kind of money I have a few friends/family members who would come to the party (and no I'm not loaning anyone here 10K) - so this is a bit of a moot point.

[Menoman]

I'd sure as shit not give it back :P

[absorbentishe]

I agree with Mal, I couldn't keep it the guilt would kill me. Temptation would be really strong to keep it, but I just couldn't. Yeah, it would suck if there was no reward, but I'd feel so much better about myself. Now if it were $100.00, then I'd be able to clear my conscious much easier!

[zVp]

The guy never gave him any reward? That's pretty lame. If I found 10 000 lying somewhere, I'd snatch it up and put it in MY bank. I got things to pay off, like university and gas. Of course, I'd feel bad, so I'd probably give back more than half and then that's all.

[analog]

IF you MUST carry $10,000, don't be a moron and stuff it in your damn pocket!! Sheesh, you're ASKING to lose it.

It's not "taking", it's not "stealing" just because it isn't yours- you simply found it.

I'd take it.. I've got a car payment and college tuition. I deserve to further my intelligence through the stupidity of someone else.

[Glava]

If I was sure that I hadn't been seen by people or security cameras, or that I hadn't seen the rightful owner myself, I would take the money and quietly walk away. I'd probably spend a few hundred on electronics and put the rest in my account.

If I was the one who lost the money, I would certainly be grateful if the person returned it to me. If my money wasn't returned, though, I'd be angry but still think that the actions of the finder were reasonable.

[5757]

I honestly would find out who the money belonged to first. I would wait and watch the news. If I found out it was some punk drug dealer I would keep the money. I would enjoy spending every dollar of it - and thats the truth!





(I know I know not all drug dealers are punks)




(If you actually had that thought 'why is she calling drug dealers punks?' then you're probably not even a drup dealer at all huh! You just sell weed )