Found Money.

[notoppings]

Scenario: You are walking down a quite street and come across a bank deposit money bag, it's full of cash you know who's money it is because it is on the deposit slip in this scenario there is no chance of anyone knowing it was you who found the bag.

How do come to a decision on what to do with the bag? Logic, reason, morals, behavior, need?

[TheLastMohican]

I would choose what to do with it on a moral basis, though logical reasons would tend to concur with the morality of it. Ultimately it would depend on whose money it was.

[jadefalcon]

I would turn it into the bank (if there was one on the slip). If not I would go out of my way to return it to the person without a reward. Morals. It is not my property and if I took it that is stealing.

[Monte314]

I would return it; this would be the morally right action, which is determinative for me. In any event, I can't imagine that I could enjoy using money obtained in this way, so there would be no motivation to keep it.

[tp6626]

I'd return it. I'm happy enough without it, and I didn't earn it so I wouldn't want it. Plus if I'd lost the money that I'd earned, I would want the finder to return it to me. So partially logic and partially morals.

Likewise, when people ask me how much money it would take to do some gruesome deed, I always answer that no amount of money could 'make' me do it. As before I'm happy as I am so don't need the money, and would have been just as happy had I not been asked.

[Autoptic]

Ultimately it would depend on whose money it was.

I'm rather paranoid but not sure. Whose probably would affect it. 'nash equilibrium vs. superrationality, anyone?

[Trym]

I would take it. Launder it in some way and spend it on improving my current life. Apartment, education and so on.

Maybe not the "moral" thing to, but I'd do it.

"Noens død, er en annens brød"
Directly translated: "Someones death, is another ones bread" (Doesn't rhyme in english though).

[void]

I would check the bag for tracking devices. Then I would look around to make sure I'm not being watched. Then I would pick up the bag and run like hell.

[Monte314]

I heard a guy call into a late night talk show once who had found $300,000 in a dufflebag left in a motel room he happened to stay in. He wanted to know whether he should "turn it in" or not. By the time he called, he had been in possession of the money for quite a while (many months).

The talk show host pointed out that, given that no one had tried to contact him in search of the cash, it was probably money from some criminal enterprise that had been abandoned when something "went wrong", and he ought to just keep it.

Is this kind of "found money" taxable income?

[Avid]

I've had this happen a couple of times. I would find a wallet full of money or credit cards and such...(ok, not money bags but still). I'd usually turn it into the front desk of whatever place I found it or just call the people up myself and arrange some way for them to get it back. I would not want someone to steal from me so I do not steal from others (basic morals).

Yeah, Monte...if he tried to deposit the full amount it would cost him somewhere tax wise. If he kept it in dollar form however he wouldn't have to worry about the tax junk.

[patata]

Scenario: You are walking down a quite street and come across a bank deposit money bag, it's full of cash you know who's money it is because it is on the deposit slip in this scenario there is no chance of anyone knowing it was you who found the bag.

How do come to a decision on what to do with the bag? Logic, reason, morals, behavior, need?
My approach is:
If I was the one who lost the money, would someone return it to me?
In most cases, the answer is: no.
So, I choose to keep the money and enjoy it myself.
And no, I'm no NF (no offense intended, NFs) to think that by returning it I could change the world.

[jadefalcon]

I heard a guy call into a late night talk show once who had found $300,000 in a dufflebag left in a motel room he happened to stay in. He wanted to know whether he should "turn it in" or not. By the time he called, he had been in possession of the money for quite a while (many months).

The talk show host pointed out that, given that no one had tried to contact him in search of the cash, it was probably money from some criminal enterprise that had been abandoned when something "went wrong", and he ought to just keep it.

Is this kind of "found money" taxable income?


In this case I would send the money straight to the church- I have no use for money used in criminal enterprises and 2) it is used for the completely opposite purpose!

[Autoptic]

In this case I would send the money straight to the church- I have no use for money used in criminal enterprises and 2) it is used for the completely opposite purpose!

Does the church morally launder the money or something?

[Allie]

I would check the bag for tracking devices. Then I would look around to make sure I'm not being watched. Then I would pick up the bag and run like hell.

:laugh:


That cracked me up because that was my first thought too!

EDIT: I re-read the scenario, and since there's a contact to figure out whose this belonged to, I'd return the money. If there's no way to know, then, that's different story.

[Exponential]

Finders Keepers
Losers Weepers

[Ranie9]

Scenario: You are walking down a quite street and come across a bank deposit money bag, it's full of cash you know who's money it is because it is on the deposit slip in this scenario there is no chance of anyone knowing it was you who found the bag.

How do come to a decision on what to do with the bag? Logic, reason, morals, behavior, need?

I might have to go home and do some research on the name on the deposit slip; if he was a known criminal, well....on the other hand, if it was a children's charity, it would have to go back.





Ranie9 added to this post, 2 minutes and 34 seconds later...

Does the church morally launder the money or something?

*chuckle*

[Tyrant Soup]

It would be logical to keep it. As many have said, "Life isn't fair";)

If circumstances were reversed, I do not think the finder has any moral obligations to return it to me. Therefore, I think the behavior is perfectly moral as well.

[vad1981]

I've found money before - as a kid I found a wallet with maybe $60 and some credit cards in it. I returned it back to the owner, who was grateful and let me keep the cash. Which at the time was a lot of money for me.

Also, just a few months ago I found a wallet on a bench but I saw the person who left it and I returned it to them right away. Because the reward of keeping it is so small.

On the other hand if I found $300,000 now I would be very grateful to keep it. It would solve many of my financial worries better than any $1000 tax rebate check from President Bush.

$300,000 would put me so much ahead financially it would be a godsend - all my (and my family's) debts would be eliminated and I would have some savings then for the future, and maybe spend $5000 of it or so on a decent vacation, $10-15,000 on a nice used car.

[PreyingMantis]

I'd check for people watching in case it was a set-up. I'd make sure noone saw me in case it had belonged to criminals. If i decided the person who had owned the money was "okay" enough - not someone who seems to cause much pain to others, and needed it as much as me or almost as much, i'd give it back. It they were someone horrible enough or too rich to really need it anywhere near as much as me, i'd keep it.

[DrEast]

Return it or, if I were closer to the bank, deposit it. The slip is filled out, after all.

[Monte314]

Today I found a 20 dollar bill in the garbage can in the kitchen at our office. The only name I say on it was "Andrew Jackson".

I took it up to the receptionist and asked her to announce my discovery over the P.A. system so that the owner could claim it. Instead, she sent out an email to everyone letting them know that someone had "found some money", if it's yours come and tell us the amount and the occassion of the loss.

It's still unclaimed. It will probably end up in petty cash.

[punkyplatypus]

It's not my money, so I'd do my best to return it. If I didn't know the person or where the bank for the slip was, then I'd take it to the local police and let them deal with it. Not to say I wouldn't be tempted to take it, but I know that I wouldn't want someone taking my money.

I find this topic interesting because I just received a recently lost my wallet. It fell out of my pocket somehow between the cash register and my car at a local convenient store. I realized I dropped it when I got home (less than a couple minutes away). After checking my car, I returned as a car was leaving the parking lot. The parking lot was empty and the cashier said that she didn't see it or have it returned and that there was only one customer after I left. I had just missed the car of the person who took my wallet. I canceled all my credit and debit cards, made a list of what was in my wallet, planned on reporting it as a theft to the local police (for ID theft or if it was returned there), and was planning on getting replacement cards. Luckily I checked my school email; the girl who found my wallet knew my email because school email is based on first & last name and my school ID was in my wallet. So I picked up my wallet, which was intact with all my cards and cash. If I weren't a poor student, then I would have totally have given her a reward on the spot. I'm still deciding on whether or not I should send her some flowers anyways.

[Autoptic]

I've had a similar experience, but I think the question is whether a nash equilibrium or superrationality would dominate other people's actions, unless you believe in karma in it's currently popular meaning, or do you consider guilt or some pleasure gained from the action, if applicable, worth it itself?

[Anderson]

I would keep the money for myself unless someone showed up looking for it. If it was someone that I despised, then screw 'em, I'm still keeping the money, but otherwise I would return it if the person who lost it was looking for it.

[Hdier]

I would come to the decision using morals (which makes sense, as I'm an F). However, my morals are logic driven a lot of the time (again, makes sense because my F-T is borderline), and if it were some terrorists money or something like that, I'd donate it to charity.

One exception: There was a kid in, I think it was 5th grade, who stole my Gameboy Advance. He was even caught with it, he just found loopholes in rules. If it were him, I'd say 'screw him' and make sure he was axed.

[Antares]

Well, I would try to restore the money to its original owner for a several reasons.

1. I have no great love for monetary gains; I have enough already
2. I don't care for the money, and the owner might.
3. I believe it's the choice a principled person would make.

[OneHertz]

If I lost it I would not expect it back. I made a mistake and I will pay for it accordingly. I would definitely keep the money.

[Avid]

I find it funny that people just assume everyone else is ONLY out for them so they rationalize keeping it based on that. There are good people who care and if you aren't helping the problem you are just adding to it. *shrug

[Mechanical Messiah]

I'm not sure what I'd do with it.

I don't make important decisions quickly... so I'd likely take the money, then think it over for a few days. Much of my decision would depend on exactly whose money this is and what mood I happened to be in.

[patata]

I find it funny that people just assume everyone else is ONLY out for them so they rationalize keeping it based on that. There are good people who care and if you aren't helping the problem you are just adding to it. *shrug
It's the safest bet. We don't assume that EVERYONE ELSE is only out for them, we assume that the majority behaves like that.
Good people are the exception to the rule, not the opposite.

[cognosco]

I would have to think it out for quite a while, but I would base it on the following factors:

1. Whose money is it? Huge corporation that can take the loss (such as a bank itself, as it is federally insured)? I would like to take into account the possible firing of the person who lost the money, but they're head is likely already on the block by this point. Small "mom and pop" business that will lose their livelihood?

2. What is mine and my family's financial situation at this point? Is someone seriously ill with tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills, and in need of some incredibly expensive treatment that we cannot afford?

Various films came to mind as I thought about this: Run Lola Run, John Q, and It's a Wonderful Life. As much as I would like to think I would act purely morally, I know my reality is different than theory, as my general theories don't usually take extenuating circumstances into account.

[enWTFp]

I find it funny that people just assume everyone else is ONLY out for them so they rationalize keeping it based on that. There are good people who care and if you aren't helping the problem you are just adding to it. *shrugYes, exactly. I mean, I don't care if anyone prefers to keep the money, but please don't give me pseudo-justice explanations.

With me it depends on the quantities. For small amounts of money, I'd feel lucky to have found them and happily keep them. For huge amounts of money, I'd definitely bring them to the police. Those are the cases without identification attached.

For anything valuable with personal identification with it, I'd find the person and return it to them. For anything valuable with no personal identification, but still identifiable in some way (a type of wallet, a brand etc.) - I'd put an advertisement that it has been found and require identification of the details, to recognize the rightful owner and return it to them.

[Lout]

Since there is information on whom the bag belongs to, I'd probably contact them and try to return it. If not, I would take it and add to my meagre college fund.

[DrEast]

It's the safest bet. We don't assume that EVERYONE ELSE is only out for them, we assume that the majority behaves like that.
Good people are the exception to the rule, not the opposite.

Is the morality of your returning the money based on the morality of the recipient? What kind of moral system is that?

[Avid]

I just live by a strict code of I do to others how I want them to do to me. It isn't because they deserve it or I deserve it...just some odd social contract I've adopted.

[rewhu]

I would return it; this would be the morally right action, which is determinative for me. In any event, I can't imagine that I could enjoy using money obtained in this way, so there would be no motivation to keep it.

In this scenario I agree completely with Monte. There might be an initial temptation when I first saw the bag, but I wouldn't keep it.

Now, if there happened to be some loose bills on the ground - then finders keepers.

[patata]

Is the morality of your returning the money based on the morality of the recipient? What kind of moral system is that?
I just don't follow the moral system imposed by society.
I have my own moral system. It works for me.

[Tyrant Soup]

Is the morality of your returning the money based on the morality of the recipient? What kind of moral system is that?

If a person is not religious, what other justification is there for morals other than coexisting with others?

[sam988]

I would take it, as it's in accordance with my values. Not taking it is what would cause my conscience to become heavy.

[Antares]

If a person is not religious, what other justification is there for morals other than coexisting with others?

None. Oh. I take that back. Whatever eases their conscience or feelings.

[Wufnu]

I'd return it to who owned it. I've learned not to take found money to the "front desk." I also help people with broken cars, or people who are having an old time, etc.

I suppose it could be based on morals but I kind of view it in a self interest point of view. I don't really believe in Karma. The thing is, odds are I've been in that situation myself. In this case, I would think of the time I lost $50 after cashing a check. It wasn't much but I was in school from 8am until 3pm, then I worked from 4pm to 11pm five nights a week at $6 an hour. Losing that $50 made me sick so if I found a deposit bag I would remember how I felt and turn it in.

I don't think I could say the same if it was $300,000. If I kept it I would know that that I would regret it, probably forever. On the other hand, that's one helluva leg up and honestly who would carry around (and lose) three hundred grand in cash? Someone that can afford to lose it, that's who. That would be five years of work for me, after I finish school (with about $40,000 in debt). No, for 300,000 dollars I would probably keep it.

[DrEast]

If a person is not religious, what other justification is there for morals other than coexisting with others?

But that's an argument for an amoral system. Even that claim wouldn't place the morality of an act on the morality of the recipient of that act, instead of the actor.

[Autoptic]

That depends on your definition of morality. I usually don't equate it with ethics, having a rule set, thus calling myself amoral/moral nihilist, but it's just a matter of logic if the chances of positive reciprocity are low, sacrificing/risking yourself will be a bad strategy. If you thought your action would feasibly and sufficiently increase the chances that would be different, but obviously some of us doubt that.

[Synnik]

I would probably keep it, because I am greedy.

[Autoptic]

I am greedy too, just paranoid. Those mentioning tracking devices seem to have forgotten invisible dye. What if law enforcement set someone up or such and they realized it and ditched the money? I said was paranoid...

[HazMathew]

I'd be paranoid too. I doubt I'd even look in a bank deposit bag if I were walking down the street. It seems a bit suspicious regardless if there is anyone around or not.

If I found $20 in the trash at work, I'd keep it. Tough luck for the loser. If I found $300k in a hotel room I'd probably keep it and get far away from that hotel room as fast as possible. Then find a way to launder the cash. I'd probably take about $50k and goto Vegas. The rest would be invested.

[zibun]

Return to sender.

Always been my answer. Maybe not directly but like others have mentioned, leave it at a front desk or someone in charge of the general area. Though I did get my wallet stolen while I was going to the bank one time and had $3.5k cash. At the time I was really low on money (obviously) because of the thief. I wonder if my morals would have sway based on the circumstance I was in. I would hope not.

Actually, thinking back, someone also stole my wallet back in high school. I had all of my savings there (stupid me). It's really depressing when something like that happens and I wouldn't want someone else to go through with it.

[dragonsscout]

I'd have the same reaction as rewhu. As I see it, this is like a delayed Prisoner's Dilemma. Logically, if I lost the money I'd want it to be returned. With no repercussions, it's logical to take the money. However, if it was always "finders' keepers," then life would suck because if you lost something you could kiss it good-bye.

I take this approach to a lot of my social actions. I think of how the world would be if everyone did what I was doing. If like that, I'll do it. Otherwise, I won't.