http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110609/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_found_riches_returned

I would have moved to Hawaii

The problem is all the receipts. With trackable information like that, I definitely would turn it it.

 

I find a lunch sack with 17k in it, no visible owner...well, that's a whole different story.

I like to sleep and night and losing sleep for the next ten years and looking over my shoulder ain't worth it. This guy did the right thing... Just like this guy, I would NOT BLINDLY leave the $17,000 with some "teller" or whomever. Seems like this guy was thinking along the same lines by calling the police, getting some witnesses. If that failed put some sort of message in the local paper or online about "large sum of cash found... please describe".

 

 

However, if it was enough to retire wealthy at my age all bets are off...

Fate gave him the money. I'd take it.

years ago I transferred 9K from my business acc't into a savings type acc't. End of month statements come and I see the 9K in my savings but not deducted from the business acc't.Figure maybe it got crossed in the monthly cycle crossover. FOUR months later still not deducted! So by now I've got the devil/angel whispering on my shoulder routine going on and its making me nuts. So I walked in , went to the branch manager and told her. Know what she said?- ok sir we'll look into it. No thankyou, no OMG's, no "we've been going crazy looking". Still have second thoughts but you gotta think sooner or later it'll catch up and didnt want to get any bad press altho it wasnt my fault.

Fate gave him the money. I'd take it.

Maybe fate was testing him.

The least they can do is buy the guy his friggin burrito.....

One of the most important lessons I ever learned in life happened at a diner.

 

I was 6 years old, so this was back before ATMs and credit cards weren't accepted everywhere. My father and I were eating at a diner. When the bill came, my father suddenly realized that he didn't have enough money. He explained this to the waitress and told her that he just had to go to the bank, get the money and come back.

 

Well, we left, went to the bank, he took out the money, came back and paid the bill.

 

I've always remembered that lesson. There is a difference between finding $10.00 on the ground and $17K in a bag. I know what I would do, I learned it from my dad.

I found a young ladies purse in a mall parking lot the day before Christmas eve last year. Had several of her mothers credit cards, her drivers licence and other ID's and about $150.00 in cash. I couldn't find a phone# in it so I took it to my township PD. I hope they did the right thing.

NJ has a 6 month 'finders/keepers' rule. If the article is not claimed within that time period, the PD must contact the finder to see if they want it.

Give back the $16,000 in cash I found.

I drive a UPS truck, 2 Decembers ago, I found a B of A deposit bag with $5200 in cash. I brought it to the local branch and handed it in. I called and told my boss so I wouldn't have to answer questions about the time gap in my delivery records. SOB went right up the chain with it and it was decided that they would get some good press for the company. It was Xmas, driver does the honest thing, etc. He called the local paper who ran a story. Day of the newspaper article I called my dad to bust his chops about his "famous" son. He called back an hour or so later. CBS had just called his house looking for me (no answer at mine, I was working). It was a PITA, all day long my boss was trying to pimp me out to get more publicity for the company. My take away lesson from it all was don't tell anyone. Doesn't matter what you do, right or wrong, take it to your grave.

I would always return it if there was any reliable chance of getting it to the owner. I will NOT hand off cash to a cop or manager of a business. I'd rather keep it than let them skim it or steal it. If the bag has receipts and such, I can probably verify the owner myself and would even post online or in a paper if the sum is large enough. Costs would come out of the cash. Plus a burrito.

I can't say I wouldn't be TEMPTED to keep the money. However, my good conscience combined with slight paranoia would lead me to turn it in.

While I was driving cross-country to my next unit (USCG) I lost my wallet in ogallala Nebraska. It had my military ID, all my cash, and most of the travelers checks they gave me to travel with. I searched the places I had been the night before and found nothing. Went to the local PD and they said they might have it. They did and it had everything in it. Turns out a local car salesmen found it and turned it in. WOW A local radio reporter was there too and asked me to wait and he'd take my story. He said that it'll be on the radio at lunch. Had lunch in my car and listened to my hideous east-coast accented story and went on my way.

 

That's all I got.

Something else to think about for anyone who might consider keeping it, cameras are everywhere these days, especially in urban areas. The odds of no one finding out are much slimmer these days.

I bought my first Apple Powerbook back around 2001 or so. It was pretty expensive for what we got back then, just under $2000. Fedex delivered it. The next day Fedex came and dropped off another one. I was billed for only one. Called Apple and had them send a return label. I've returned a few wallets also. I have a problem with keeping something that isn't mine regardless if it was a big company like Apple, or the cab driver who lost his wallet. I've yet to be tested finding $17K in cold hard cash, but I would like to think I'd do the right thing with it. Yeah, call me an arse but I'm pretty sure I would try and find the owner.

If it's not enough money to solve ALL of my problems and for me to disappear with forever (which would require about $7+ Million), then it's getting returned to its owner. In other words, my dignitiy and self-respect costs a bit over $7 million .

Something else to think about for anyone who might consider keeping it, cameras are everywhere these days, especially in urban areas. The odds of no one finding out are much slimmer these days.

"I picked it up to bring it to the PD, and then someone snatched it from my hands and ran off."

 

Again, not that I would do it..... Something like that, the BEST idea is to call the cops and NOT touch it. What happens if someone robbed that armored car company, and the guy was found in possession of some of the stolen cash (the bag he found). It could potentially cause headaches. Call the cops, and wait for them to arrive. Try to conceal it so nobody else tries to snatch it before the cops arrive. That's what I would do.

17k in cash. The guy that lost it is either a drug dealer, or major business man. Still my answer is the same for both. Try to find a phone number any where on the bag, if I can't find one then I call the cops and turn it in.

 

If I find a number on the bag and I give it back, I get a burrito and maybe a cash reward for finding it. If its a drug dealer I don't get my a** busted into a million pieces, and possibly make a REALLY good 'friend'.

 

Plus I'm with Raptor. If I can't buy a small Polynesian Island and live on it, undisturbed, then it isn't worth the hassle.

Yea sure I'd think about it but as I have lived my life, what goes around comes around and I'd turn it in.

 

Harry