Are you legally allowed to keep money you find that someone else lost? - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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Crime and prevention thereof. Loopholes, grey areas and the letter of the law.
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#14964070
It would be shitty not to try to find who it belongs to and return it. That could be some single mother's rent or grocery money, you could really fuck up someone's life by just keeping it. If you knew it belonged to some rich asshole I'd say keep it, but if you don't know you have to at least try to find out.
#14964140
Work it out for yourself, but in the U.K it's called, stealing-by-finding, self explanatory really.

Looking at it another way, before asking whether it's 'legally allowed', ask yourself this, 'was' it yours BEFORE you found it(NO), IS it yours therefore AFTER you found it,(NO).

Well, there may be other countries that do allow it, which can lead to a criminal stealing money, running away with it around some corner, drop it, then be spotted picking it up, is it the belongings of that criminal, if the observer's only saw the criminal pick it up & not drop it?

Handing it in is sensible & honest.

However, we know that resources for the police are stretched(according to the police)& it has been in the media that it is suggested that the police do not have the time or resources to handle 'Lost Property'.

IMHO, that encourages ambiguity in the law, because if situations are not policed, then 'criminal' behaviour increases.
Last edited by Nonsense on 16 Nov 2018 22:32, edited 1 time in total.
#14964142
One guy has had my families gratitude and respect for 40 years now. I have probably told everyone I ever meant about him. I think that is worth more than a couple hundred bucks, even though when I did it I didn’t even get a thank you.
#14964146
Sivad wrote:It would be shitty not to try to find who it belongs to and return it. That could be some single mother's rent or grocery money, you could really fuck up someone's life by just keeping it. If you knew it belonged to some rich asshole I'd say keep it, but if you don't know you have to at least try to find out.


You should have stopped typing after the first sentence.

If you knew who it belonged to and kept it, wouldn't that be stealing?
#14964157
Agent Steel wrote:I know. I'm asking about legality, not ethics.


Ethics and morals relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different: ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions. Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Ethics_vs_Morals

Sivad wrote:You can't steal from thieves and if you're rich in America you're nothing but a fucking thief.


I'm not the morality police so I wouldn't know.
#14964167
Unless there is some way to possibly identify the person who lost it, it's just found money. You can call the police and report it, but it'll extremely unlikely that it'll be found by the person who lost it, or even reported.

A "huge roll of bills" is usually associated with crime, so I'd just thank your lucky stars and spend it like it's yours.

If it was in a wallet or purse, I'd most definitely try to find the owner, but simply cash on the ground? No.

I found some money underwater, snagged on a reef in Thailand. I didn't report it, and spent it on beer. Was that ethically and legally sound of me? :lol:

Finding cash on the ground is not stealing. In order to be charged with theft, intent has to be proven. You cannot do that with found money.

Sivad wrote:You can't steal from thieves and if you're rich in America you're nothing but a fucking thief.
Actually, you can steal from thieves and no, every rich person did not get rich by exploiting others. Poor generalization. You sure hate people better off than yourself, don't you? Sheesh! ;)
#14964170
Yes, in my country.

But only if the Person did not leave any identifying information and there is no CCTV(in terms of they can't locate the person who dropped it off). You are required to notify either police or whatever nearby shopfront (where a person might go back looking g for "I lost money near here did anyone turn it in?") exists out of curtsey. But you get to keep it till "They ask for it back" if you wish.

If it's a larger amount of cash, such as a sports bag full, you are required to report it and turn it in. Because it is considered "suspicious evidence" that maybe a drug deal or robbery happened and the person has delibrately dropped it somewhere.

Unless there is some way to possibly identify the person who lost it, it's just found money. You can call the police and report it, but it'll extremely unlikely that it'll be found by the person who lost it, or even reported.


Usually money is dropped by people shopping and near Malls. So yeah they often do go looking back for it if they know where they lost it and what shop they visited. In a Mall turn it in to the nearest shopfront or centre management.
#14964194
If no one knows you found out, then you could keep it.

But anyone with a conscience might feel uneasy about keeping it. If I found it, I would donate it to a good cause or put it into an envelope and leave it in a public area to let someone else find it. It is not mine to keep, I did not earn it.

Also, using questionable money could lead to bad luck. Might not, but I believe in the possibility.
#14964196
MistyTiger wrote:If no one knows you found out, then you could keep it.

But anyone with a conscience might feel uneasy about keeping it. If I found it, I would donate it to a good cause or put it into an envelope and leave it in a public area to let someone else find it. It is not mine to keep, I did not earn it.

Also, using questionable money could lead to bad luck. Might not, but I believe in the possibility.


Karma seemed to be present throughout my life. :)
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