NEED ADVICE: Found Money (vanity)

12/9/05 | NYCynic

[NYCynic]

After work this afternoon I found a small wad of cash on the train platform. I was thinking of putting up a flyer that says something to the effect of: "Found Money on Friday afternoon. Call xxx-xxx-xxxx, identify amount to claim. If not claimed by Christmas will donate to my church."

Has anyone been in this situation before? How did you handle it? This is New York after all and part of me doesn't want to deal with all of the potential fraudsters. I should just donate it straight away, but I really want to make sure it gets back to its rightful owner.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris

[ItsForTheChildren]

Ooh, sorry. You should have left that last part out. A couple of the bills have Alex Hamilton on them.

Oh hey... it must be mine, then!

[Dog]

Hey.... its mine.

[sirjohn]

How much was it?

[Dog]

You sure are nosy about MY MONEY.

[jocon307]

No, no, no, don't do that. Just keep the money or give it to your church as you propose. Per hubby, wads of cash found on the street in NYC are presumably drug money.

Now, if it's really a lot of money, I'm not so sure, because it is still probably drug/mafia money, and you don't want anything to do with that.

[digger48]

But Opie spent his on a fishin' pole.

[Michael.SF.]

I can identify it (green and white)

White?

[My2Cents]

Ten bucks in PA?!

[nmh]

Problem solved:

"If anything I will place it in the offering on Christmas Eve."

[Steven W.]

By law you're supposed to report it to the police dept. and they handle the fraudsters. Then, after 30-45 days, if the legitimate owner has not claimed it, it's yours to do with it what you wish.

[Wolfstar]

Whatever you else decide to do, don't put up fliers with personal information such as a phone number. That's WAY too dangerous. You don't indicate what train system: LIRR, upstate or NYC subway (and I don't need to know). But even if it is a station in a comparatively nice area, don't assume 100% of the potentially hundreds (if not thousands) of people who may see the sign are benign.

If your conscience drives you to attempt to return it, the safest way is probably to bring it to the police station that has juristiction over the station where you found the money.

[Gaffer]

As the old joke goes. Let the rightful owner claim his own.
Next time you're on the platform, take the wad and throw it up in the air and yell "whoever lost this, here it is!"

Then let the vultures fight over it...

If you don't really need it, give it back somehow; the method of giving is up to you.

If you need it, use it and at some point in the future, help someone when you can.

[Hot Tabasco]

Since it was in a wad and no identification attached to it, I would keep it and not worry about it.

I had two similar incidents happen to me as a teenager who lived in northern Michigan.

I was an avid skier whose parents couldnt afford to buy me a season pass to Boyne Mountain and thus I was relegated to skiing the local hill in Boyne City which at the time was either Avalanche or Barn Mtn. I was playing in a grove of pine trees up the road from my house one day when I discovered a pair of new Hart skies which someone had obviously stolen from Boyne Mtn. and hidden them in this pine grove. Me being a kid who was still skiing on wooden hand-me-downs from my more affluent cousin in Charlevoix was literally drooling over these metal skis. Don't ask me how, don't ask me why but they were there! Probably stolen by one of my neighbors but to this day I can't imagine who.

Anyway, I turned them over to the local police dept. and that was the last I heard of it.

Several years later at the age of about 15 I was enjoying a rare opportunity of getting to ski Boyne Mtn. when I found a wallet on the ski slope that was packed with money and stuff. Me being the good honest kid, I took the wallet down to the lift operator and turned it over to him thinking that he would find the owner and give it back.

Years after that incident, now knowing what I know about "lifties" (I was one once) and seasonal ski-bums, I wish that I had taken it home and let my parents contact the owner. It would have been guaranteed that he would have gotten his wallet and cash back intact..............

Do whatever is in your heart but rest assured you are going to be paged by anyone passing by your notice.

Wads of cash are usually carried by individuals dealing in quick purchases or sales rather than credit cards or debit cards.

[derllak]

Yeah but what would Andy do if Opie found a wad? After all, he's a sheriff!

[Ditter]

I would never advertise for the owner of lost money to come forward, you would be trampled. Give it to the charity of your choice.

[i_dont_chat]

You could call the transit authorities and tell them you found some money, and leave your phone number.

In the event anyone comes to the transit authorities and asks if any money was found -- THEN they could give them YOUR phone number. And you can ask them to verify the amount. And hopefully the money can be claimed by the rightful owner. If no one inquires, the money is yours.

That should do it.

[billhilly]

Put it in a paper bag and back on the train platform. You shouldn't have picked it up in the first place. Now you won't get any sleep. Or you could send it to Modok.

[don-o]

Thought I had the same situation myself recently. I picked up a twenty outside a Hardee's. Stuffed it in my shirt pocket and mande note to self to think about it later.

I called the place and left my number. End of this story is that it was not a twenty at all - it was a "gospel tract"

But, that's far removed from an NYC subway. I do not know how to advise. My heart would be to try to get the money back to its rightful owner. My head says, you best donate the money and maybe offer a prayer or a Mass or some such.

[Chieftain]

It belongs to FReeper cyborg!

FReep mail her and releive her mind of worry!