I found $640: now what?
 

This morning I went to Bank of America to take care of some things. I parked, got out and turned towards the building. Almost exactly halfway between the door and my truck was what looked like a wad of $100s and $20s. It was seriously a pile of money, sitting there and soaking up the rain. I rushed over to pick it up and looked around. The parking lot was fairly full, but there wasn't anyone around. The bills were relatively dry, so they couldn't have been there for long. I hurriedly gathered the money together and realized that there were only two $100 bills, which were on top, but a ton of $20s.

At this point, I had no idea what to do, so I kind of folded up the money in my hands and went inside. I was the first in line for the two tellers, but they were having computer problems, and the line started to grow behind me. I really kept the money hidden in my hands. I didn't want someone behind me in line to say, "Hey, that's my cash! I dropped it!"

When one of the tellers was free - an older blonde, maybe 40, with a hell of a smile - I walked up and had to make my decision. I just put the money on the counter and sort of whispered, "I found this in the parking lot. I think its about $640." I didn't want to talk very loudly for the same reason I kept the money out of sight when I picked it up. "What do I do now?" I asked her, still hushed. Really, I was hoping she would say they can't really hold on to it and that it was mine.

Instead, she took it, put it in an envelope with my name and number and said that if anybody came in and named the amount, they could claim it. Otherwise, she'd have her manager call me on Monday.

My salary is pretty low - ridiculously low, actually, some students on stipends get more than I do - so over $600 is by no means a trivial sum to me. And while I was waiting in line, I was thinking that nobody would know it wasn't my money unless whoever dropped it came in almost right behind me. Still, I decided to turn it over.

Now I'm just waiting until I get that call on Monday. But I keep wondering how I'd feel if I had just kept the cash.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

yeah you arent getting a call

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

standard play. Hopefully you get that call- gl.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

did you type in the subject line before you handed over the money?

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

U done the right thing....

If no-one claims that cash - U will rightfully be able to get it from the bank...

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

I think it is cool that you turned it in and you made the totally correct but difficult choice, although I would have wanted a better guarantee. Who is to say that if no one claims it that the tellers friend doesnt come in and "claim" it?

The fact that the money is important to you makes the decision all the better. If you keep making decisions like that in life you will go far because almost inevitably, good things happen to such people.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

you could have let them know you found some money in the parking lot and left your number. if anyone lost the money have them call you, then you ask them how much it was and in what denominations. that way you dont get screwed over by the bank people.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

Considering it was probably someones Christmas money that they were going to buy presents with, you did the right thing.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
did you type in the subject line before you handed over the money?

[/ QUOTE ]
The title is as much a question for others as it is self-doubt over my chosen course of action.

Mark - That would have been a smarter move, probably. I wasn't really thinking clearly, although immediately after picking up the money I did briefly consider just turning around and leaving altogether.

Reef - Do you mean that's a "standard play" for someone that's relatively honest? If I had dropped the money, I really wouldn't expect to see it again, so I don't think its "standard" for the majority of people.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Considering it was probably someones Christmas money that they were going to buy presents with, you did the right thing.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't see how the probable use of the money affects anything.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Who is to say that if no one claims it that the tellers friend doesnt come in and "claim" it?


[/ QUOTE ]

You're lucky I wasn't your bank teller.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

Works at a bank, wouldn't work at a mall. Hope you get the money, thanks for doing the right thing.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

You did the right thing. But if I were in your shoes, I don't think I could've done the same. Just being honest.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

I'm 99% sure I would have pocketed the money and taken care of my business at the bank on Monday morning. Minor hijack, but where does the law stand on all this? Do you have an obligation to turn it in, if its lying in the middle of a (generally speaking) public place like a parking lot?

Anyway, good luck.

yasher

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm 99% sure I would have pocketed the money and taken care of my business at the bank on Monday morning. Minor hijack, but where does the law stand on all this? Do you have an obligation to turn it in, if its lying in the middle of a (generally speaking) public place like a parking lot?

Anyway, good luck.

yasher

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe you do have a legal obligation to return it. That being said, yeah I would have kept it.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

Man why can't things like this happen to me...crap! However I would have thought about it a lot, but given how broke I am right now...its seriously a trivial predicament.

A poll would be interesting with this thread.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

It's good you returned it. I have a friend who graduated college recently and he was driving in his car in Colorodo. On the side of the road he jsut sees large piles of money so he pulls over and starts picking it up. In total it was about $30,000 or so. He makes almost no money at his job, but he turned it in. Turns out that it was some poor schlub who took his life saving that he got from his parents and was moving somewhere on his own. He put the money in a bag on top of the car and it blew off. He actually had $40k but some other people pulled over and snatched some up too, so he didn't get it all back. Basically I'm just saying this because, although you don't make a ton of money, that sum could be alot to someone. If it were me, it would be most of my money and that would be a big blow to me. Glad you turned it in.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

Im sorry but if you put 40k in a bag and allow it get blown off by the wind, you deserve to lose your money, all of it. If i have 40k with me it would be under my arm the whole time, or in a bank acount.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

i think the bank will probably ask some questions so this shouldnt be too big of an issue.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

Wow... I couldn't live with myself if I turned in 30k. I'd keep that 640$ as well.

Im a badass.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
He put the money in a bag on top of the car and it blew off.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are no words for this. The only way that large sums of money will ever end up on the side of the road is if someone is a total moron - like the character described in this story.

That's why if I ever find money on the side of the road, and there's no wrecked Brinks truck around, I'm collecting every last goddamn cent and not saying a word to anybody.

Idiots should suffer for their idiocy.

yasher

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
It's good you returned it. I have a friend who graduated college recently and he was driving in his car in Colorodo. On the side of the road he jsut sees large piles of money so he pulls over and starts picking it up. In total it was about $30,000 or so. He makes almost no money at his job, but he turned it in. Turns out that it was some poor schlub who took his life saving that he got from his parents and was moving somewhere on his own. He put the money in a bag on top of the car and it blew off. He actually had $40k but some other people pulled over and snatched some up too, so he didn't get it all back. Basically I'm just saying this because, although you don't make a ton of money, that sum could be alot to someone. If it were me, it would be most of my money and that would be a big blow to me. Glad you turned it in.

[/ QUOTE ]

That sounds like the standard line I would give the cops if I was a drug dealer and some stupid runner lost a large amount of my cash.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm 99% sure I would have pocketed the money and taken care of my business at the bank on Monday morning. Minor hijack, but where does the law stand on all this? Do you have an obligation to turn it in, if its lying in the middle of a (generally speaking) public place like a parking lot?

Anyway, good luck.

yasher

[/ QUOTE ]

The law says you're guilty of theft. It's not yours, and you found it outside a bank, of all things - so you know where it more than likely came from.

To the people who said they'd keep it and were serious: you're trash. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

Tripp:

I'd like to read the statute, if you know of one... I don't care what state its from, I'm just interested in seeing just how protected from themselves and their own stupidity today's Americans really are.

If you drop $640, and don't notice it, you don't deserve to have the $640. Period.

Flame on,
yasher

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Considering it was probably someones Christmas money that they were going to buy presents with, you did the right thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, keeping someone's normal money they worked hard for is much better.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Tripp:

I'd like to read the statute, if you know of one... I don't care what state its from, I'm just interested in seeing just how protected from themselves and their own stupidity today's Americans really are.

If you drop $640, and don't notice it, you don't deserve to have the $640. Period.

Flame on,
yasher

[/ QUOTE ]

18 Pa.C.S. (Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) § 3921 Theft by unlawful taking.
(a) MOVABLE PROPERTY. --A person is guilty of theft if he unlawfully takes, or exercises unlawful control over, movable property of another with intent to deprive him thereof.

The purpose of this statute isn't to protect idiots who lose things. It's to punish scumbags like you that would keep things when they know it isn't theirs.

EDITED TO ADD

Can't believe I missed this one:

18 Pa.C.S. § 3924 Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake

A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient is guilty of theft if, with intent to deprive the owner thereof, he fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to a person entitled to have it.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

tripp:

Both of those excerpts - and the articles I found by searching for those terms - were very interesting reads. My question is this: How is the law not protecting the idiots who lose things? Yes, it certainly does intend to punish the scumbags like myself who would happily collect $640 (or $30k) off the ground and pocket it - but why does it intend to do such punishing? The intent is to make people like myself less likely to simply pocket the money, and more likely to turn it over to the proper authorities. Thus, the ultimate intent is to protect the morons that lose things from themselves. You can probably make the argument that the law protects the moron from the scumbags like me, but if the moron weren't to lose said item in the first place, the scumbag wouldnt be in a position to appropriate the item.

Sorting out my jibber jabber, I'm simply saying this: If I managed to drop $1000 in $20s somewhere, I wouldn't expect to get it back. I shouldn't. I screwed up, its my fault. But the government says, hold up, wait, yasher, we need to protect you from yourself! So, if you drop $1000 in $20s, anyone that finds that money is obligated to turn it into the police - because you're a moron and need to be protected from yourself.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

I've gotta get to work, but perhaps I'll have a useful analogy when I return. These laws - applied to this sort of case - just reek.

This should be interesting,
yasher

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's good you returned it. I have a friend who graduated college recently and he was driving in his car in Colorodo. On the side of the road he jsut sees large piles of money so he pulls over and starts picking it up. In total it was about $30,000 or so. He makes almost no money at his job, but he turned it in. Turns out that it was some poor schlub who took his life saving that he got from his parents and was moving somewhere on his own. He put the money in a bag on top of the car and it blew off. He actually had $40k but some other people pulled over and snatched some up too, so he didn't get it all back. Basically I'm just saying this because, although you don't make a ton of money, that sum could be alot to someone. If it were me, it would be most of my money and that would be a big blow to me. Glad you turned it in.


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That sounds like the standard line I would give the cops if I was a drug dealer and some stupid runner lost a large amount of my cash.

[/ QUOTE ]

My roommate in college found a few thousand in a brown paper bag in the grass by the side walk. He turned it into the campus cops who said it was most likely drug money and they would give it to him if no claimed it after x days (I went to Pitt which is in a relatively bad area so the campus cops are real police). They ultimately determined the money was from some drug deal (not sure how) and it went to some state fund (you know, like the one where they put drug dealers cars). He ended up with nothing.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

RHD,

So, uh, just wondering... Was it this branch?

1013 16th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203

Wondering,
El Diablo

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

ElD,

No, it wasn't.

Vaguely Curious,
RunDownHouse

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

[ QUOTE ]
tripp:

Both of those excerpts - and the articles I found by searching for those terms - were very interesting reads. My question is this: How is the law not protecting the idiots who lose things? Yes, it certainly does intend to punish the scumbags like myself who would happily collect $640 (or $30k) off the ground and pocket it - but why does it intend to do such punishing? The intent is to make people like myself less likely to simply pocket the money, and more likely to turn it over to the proper authorities. Thus, the ultimate intent is to protect the morons that lose things from themselves. You can probably make the argument that the law protects the moron from the scumbags like me, but if the moron weren't to lose said item in the first place, the scumbag wouldnt be in a position to appropriate the item.

Sorting out my jibber jabber, I'm simply saying this: If I managed to drop $1000 in $20s somewhere, I wouldn't expect to get it back. I shouldn't. I screwed up, its my fault. But the government says, hold up, wait, yasher, we need to protect you from yourself! So, if you drop $1000 in $20s, anyone that finds that money is obligated to turn it into the police - because you're a moron and need to be protected from yourself.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

I've gotta get to work, but perhaps I'll have a useful analogy when I return. These laws - applied to this sort of case - just reek.

This should be interesting,
yasher

[/ QUOTE ]

The answer to this is simple. This law is created to serve society's best interest. That interest is as follows:

People should not be allowed to take something that is not theirs when they know it is someone else's.

The fact that the person who lost the money may have been irresponsible isn't of any consequence. You can't just take something that isn't yours because you found it.
Personal responsibility has nothing to do with this.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

You did fine. Just call the bank and talk to the manger on Monday and find out if anyone claimed the cash. If he doesn't know anything about it, then get that dishonest teller fired.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

RHD,

This one?

2121 Blakemore Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

Still wondering,
El Diablo

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

man... get one of your friends to claim this for you ASAP... seriously it's a lot of money and you found it.

Get it back and give your friend 100 bucks for doing it for you.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

WW,

Seriously, I don't think having one of his friends go lie about this is a good idea. If I were RHD I'd just hope I get a call on Monday, which he is likely to get.

ED

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

El D,

2121 Blakemore Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

I think you are right with this one [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

ROAD TRIP!!

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

ElD,

I can neither confirm nor deny that that is the location in question.

Wackity,

Having made the decision to be honest, I feel no need to trump that decision with dishonesty, much less dilute my potential payout.

Righteously Yours,
RunDownHouse

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

some of you all are retarded. this is not theft, there is no legal recourse available to the guy who dropped it. since op has no idea who dropped it, it isn't theft. and bank of america is for sure just going to pocket this money so he won't hear back either. in situations like these, when there's no way of finding out who lost it, you ALWAYS keep the money, otherwise the company you give it to will just keep it for themselves.

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

leehrat,

I think you're way overestimating the personality present in a corperation like BofA. If anyone steals the money, it will be the teller or other employee, not the company.

Always Happy to Enlighten,
RunDownHouse

Re: I found $640: now what?
 

same difference from your perspective dude