How honest are you #2

[Barmaid]

TWR posted a question down there about if you found a grand would you keep it or hand it in. The majority of posters took the view they would hand it in.

However, at what level would you think "sod it" and trouser the money?

a fiver, 20 quid? 100?

I found a quid the other day and stuck it in my pocket, but then in true karma fashion lost a quid a few days later (it fell out the trolley).

So what would you keep and at what point would you hand in? Where is "honesty" on this scale?

[EvianBaby]

I just said on the other thread I gave a man the quid he didn't realise he left behind the other day.

But then I also once kept a fiver I found in a self service check out.

Guess it depends on the circumstances.

[gness]

Barmaid. My children grew up with the agreement that any coins, small sums of money found went to Save the Children. As I said earlier £10 I found in a cash machine went to Water Aid because I couldn't find the owner.
That's still where I stand on it.

[askyourgran]

A few years ago my and my young daughter found £5.00, we both saw it at the same time and she pounced on it. We kept the money, it was found virtually in the middle of no-where anyone could have dropped it. My dilemma was of 'honesty is the best policy' as a lesson to my daughter not to steal etc. went out of the window on that occasion.

[Eve]

Handing it in wise I'm not sure that GMP would be too impressed at having their time taken up unless it was a decent sum, I'd say £50+ or other personal effects (I've handed a bag in before now with all kinds of personal belongings and, I assume, money, didn't look).

If less it doesn't mean you have to keep it though, it could be given to charity.

[B00]

if it was loose money- whatever the amount, it'd be in my purse before you could blink.

[Tilly2]

How do people manage to leave money in cash machines? I find that really odd as the main purpose for using one is to withdraw cash.

[Sqad]

Tilly.........LOL

[EcclesCake]

If I found upto £20 and there was no one around who may have lost it and in the middle of nowhere, I would probably pocket it. When I passed a Big Issue Seller or another deserving charity I would make a comparable donation.

Anything over the £20 mark I would head to the local police station, and always if it was a purse or wallet.

[237SJ]

I found a $100 bill on the floor of a bar in the BVI. Probably dropped from some rich yachty who could afford to lose it. I kept it and bought daiquiris. I had been put in hospital by a complete idiot who crashed our boat and I had to have stitiches which cost me $99. I saw the money as karma.

[gness]

Tilly...I don't know either but is seems if you leave the money alone it goes back into the machine and the account of the person who withdrew. I didn't know that at the time but there was no-one in sight.

[EvianBaby]

I've done the cash machine thing, it's very easy to get distracted while you wait for it to decide if you've got enough cash in your account. Luckily I had a friend using the machine after me.

[sunny-dave]

Certainly keep coins - unless I actually saw who dropped them.

A fiver also I'd probably keep - again unless I had some idea who might have dropped it - it could cost more than that in time/petrol/whatever to hand it in somewhere appropriate.

A tenner I'd try pretty hard to re-unite with its owner, but wouldn't be too distraught if I wound up with it unclaimed - I've lost stuff over the years and things tend to balance out I think.

The 'give it to charity' is interesting - I donate a fair amount already via CAF and am not sure I'd be faffed adding the occasional small amount, but if there was a charity box nearby ... dunno.

£20 upwards is definitely 'hand it in, preferably to the police' and over £100 it's got to be the police I think.

[Tilly2]

Several years ago, my husband found a Rolex watch whilst out walking the dogs. We took it to the police station. It was not claimed so we went to collect it. We then took it to a jewellers to have it valued.................................It was a fake!

[Flyhalf]

I think if it was above £20, I'd wait a bit to see if anyone asked about that exact sum (I wouldn't ask around, for fear some chancer would lay claim), and then hand it in.

[MarkRae]

Anything under £50 I'd probably just walk past. There'd always be the "candid camera" thought at the back of my mind... :-)

[carrust]

I work a lot in peoples houses & make sure that if I find anything valuable I return it to the customer. I once found a diamond earring under a wardrobe & gave it to the client....she gave me a £50-00 tip when I completed the job. So, honesty does pay.

[Psybbo]

We've chased a lady in her car after she drove off with her purse on the roof; caught up with her and returned it. We would not give her our name but she said thank you on the front page of the local paper to the anonymous help

[Eve]

Haha, I was on the verge of saying the candid camera thing Mark but then thought it made me sound a bit paranoid, glad it's not just me!

[LyndaB]

If I found a wallet purse I would open it to find out who it belonged to, then return it to them. But if I found an envelope full of money I would keep it.

[Psybbo]

But I love finding 5ps