So you find a stranger's wallet... What do you do?

[Wormius]

What is considered illegal then in that case?

If somebody willingly handed him over $75k, what would be the legal ramifications? Similar to those stories of where people mistakenly a painting at a yard sale for $2 that ends up having some long lost Picasso hidden behind it, or a Value Village that is donated something extremely valuable. Is there anything that would force them to return those items because the seller or donator didn't know better?

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Hah, okay. I'll have you know it's far more important to me that people not post "you're" when they mean "your".

You got me. One mistake in dozens of recent posts. You win the internet.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Wormius

If somebody willingly handed him over $75k, what would be the legal ramifications? Similar to those stories of where people mistakenly a painting at a yard sale for $2 that ends up having some long lost Picasso hidden behind it, or a Value Village that is donated something extremely valuable. Is there anything that would force them to return those items because the seller or donator didn't know better?

The legal ramifications of just handing someone 75k because you thought you owed it to them, but didn't? Probably you'd ask for it back, and if they refused, you'd sue them for unjust enrichment. Maybe in some circumstances you could argue for a presumption of resulting trust or something.

The legal ramifications of selling someone something that turns out to be worth a lot more than you thought it was? Pretty sure you're just hosed, on that one.

Originally Posted by longsuffering

You got me. One mistake in dozens of recent posts. You win the internet.

You often seem really angry and worked up. I guess that's a side effect of suffering for a long time.

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

You often seem really angry and worked up. I guess that's a side effect of suffering for a long time.

Nice play on words there. Have you ever considered changing your user name to Insufferable?

Feel free to post the last word.

You're not worth anymore of my time.

[Looch City]

We've settled it.

If longsuffering found Corsi's wallet, he would keep the entire thing for himself.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

We've settled it.

If longsuffering found Corsi's wallet, he would keep the entire thing for himself.

What this thread is really missing is some good old spite.

If you found someone's wallet who you hate, what would you do?

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Locke

What this thread is really missing is some good old spite.

If you found someone's wallet who you hate, what would you do?

Give it back to them piece by piece.

Hey I found your ID.
Hey I found your Mastercard.
Hey I found your Visa.
Hey I found your condoms.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

Give it back to them piece by piece.

Hey I found your ID.
Hey I found your Mastercard.
Hey I found your Visa.
Hey I found your condoms.

Hey, I found your wallet, I mailed it to your ex-wife...

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Where are these poor low crime places (this isn't in jest).

Nepal. And, famously, Bhutan.

[malcolmk14]

Wallet with $100 I'd return without a doubt.

How much would have to be in the wallet for you NOT to return it? I think that's an interesting question.

Like if there was somehow $10,000 in there?

$20,000?

I want to think I'd return it no matter what... but would I?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

True story.

Some random nice guy just walked into our office with $200 cash and said it was blowing around the parking lot. He's pretty sure one of our clients dropped it.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Wallet with $100 I'd return without a doubt.

How much would have to be in the wallet for you NOT to return it? I think that's an interesting question.

Like if there was somehow $10,000 in there?

$20,000?

I want to think I'd return it no matter what... but would I?

Everyone has a point I think.

I dont know what mine is, but its the point at which the money in the wallet exceeds the difficulty of finding the proper owner.

But even then I'm not entirely sure.

There would have to be a lot of money in that wallet for me to even dream about keeping it, but then again if theres a lot of money in that wallet then that belongs to someone else who needs it.

Its not your just because you found it, but the temptation is understandable.

But I get it. If you found a wallet with $20K in it, would you return it? I want to say yes.

But what if it was Tinordi's wallet? Or Iginlas wallet? Does it change your answer? It might.

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by Locke

What this thread is really missing is some good old spite.

If you found someone's wallet who you hate, what would you do?

I can't think of an instance where I would keep a wallet. Last time I found I wallet (at a Timmies) I drove to the address on the drivers license and returned it, intact, to the owner personally.

Now if I happened to find a wallet belonging to someone I don't like or respect - say Cal or Shane Wenzel or Cory Morgan as real world examples - I'd revel in the schadenfreude but ultimately return it via the mail.

Maybe I'd delay returning it (still intact) until they've had some time to cancel all their cards.

[Fuzz]

I've watched a lot of TV and movies, and if there is one thing I've learned, pocketing large amounts of cash you find always gets you in hot water with the mob, or drug dealers, or worse.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I've watched a lot of TV and movies, and if there is one thing I've learned, pocketing large amounts of cash you find always gets you in hot water with the mob, or drug dealers, or worse.

You have to watch 'Ozark.' All about doing the laundry.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Nepal. And, famously, Bhutan.

Also Zamunda has low crime.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Uh, what? The second one would obviously not have been a "crime". I doubt the first one would have been, either.

Except in the first one he's accepting money based on the presumption that it is required to remove his name from the title. Something that would be communicated to him.

He had already taken money to do just that, which would be laid out in his original loan agreement, so by accepting that money, he is implicitly stating that he has a right to have his name on the title, or explicitly doing so by signing off on the payment/removal from title of the property.

He isn't entitled to have his name on the title anymore, so accepting payment under the agreement to remove it is straight up fraud.

Having not completed doing the paperwork doesn't entitle him to be paid twice, and it seems to me he is legally obligated to give the money back.

[jayswin]

It's not your money, give it back!
It's not your money, give it back!
It's not your money, give it back!
It's not your money, give it back!

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Wallet with $100 I'd return without a doubt.

How much would have to be in the wallet for you NOT to return it? I think that's an interesting question.

Like if there was somehow $10,000 in there?

$20,000?

I want to think I'd return it no matter what... but would I?

This is the real question. I'd say for most CPers, even a couple hundred dollars would not be enough to take to offset the guilt felt for doing the wrong thing. I'd guess that most wallets have less than $100 in them, and therefore easy to return without taking any cash.

Raising the stakes to $10k + and then things get interesting. What if you tried to track down the person but couldn't? Then what? When the money become substantial enough (and everyone has their own price), I think a lot of people would start to think twice about simply returning everything.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Sliver

To an ethical person, the amount of money in the wallet is irrelevant.

So do you look in the wallet and count the money?