Found money - what do you do?

[Slartibartfast]

I would not want the responsibility of hanging on to it and having to meet up with and convey it to a stranger who now has my phone number--what's to stop the employee from mentioning it to their friend, who would then call me and get the money (and presumably split it with the employee)?

Sheer laziness is my guess 

[siamesecat2965]

for me it depends on where I find it, and how much. a random bill, no matter what the denomination, say outside, touristy area or not, I might look around to see if anyone was looking like they had lost $$, if not, I'd probably keep it. a wallet or something similar full of money; i'd turn it into the police, as someone is more than likley looking for it and would definitely notice it was gone, say more than a random bill.

Somewhere inside, store, museum, etc. I'd  turn it in.

[Emmy]

A few times that I have found money and turned it in when inside a store and left my number just in case nobody had claimed it, I have never been called.  The optimist in me would like to think a grateful person had claimed their lost money, but I think it is more likely that employees had just kept it.

Depending on whether I turn it in or keep it would depend on where the money was found and how much there was.  If it was $20 on a busy sidewalk, I would keep it.  If I found the same amount in a small store or at my work place, I would turn it in. 

[Cosmasia]

If there is identification/credit card/health card in the wallet then I'd either give it to a police station or go to the apartment/house myself if it was right by, or phone them if there was a number in the wallet.

If there is nothing that identifies an owner or if the money is by itself/not in a wallet then I just keep it.

[glinda]

I can remember back in the late 1970's when I was about 7 or so I found $50 on the floor in the toy department of a department store. My mom and I went to customer service and asked if anyone had mentioned missing money. Nobody had and we waited around for quite a long time  to see if anyone came to the desk as it was such a large sum. We ended up leaving our number and when we hadn't got a call in a few days I was allowed to keep it. I felt rich.

Another time I found $10 on the floor on the ladies room at a bar. Since there were only 3 other ladies there I approached them and asked if they had lost money. None of them had and so I kept it.

A guy I knew once found several hundred dollars outside the same bar, right where a regular usually parked. He wasn't going to ask the man if he list it until we heard him saying that he had. Bob's opinion was finders keepers and I had to argue with him before he gave it back. 

[Barb3000]

If there is identification/credit card/health card in the wallet then I'd either give it to a police station or go to the apartment/house myself if it was right by, or phone them if there was a number in the wallet.

If there is nothing that identifies an owner or if the money is by itself/not in a wallet then I just keep it.

this is the rule I go by, unless the amount was so large that someone would be looking for it. People who lose a single bill usually have no idea where it was lost, so they are unlikely to be looking for it in a certain place.

I also wouldn't trust it to an employee of any place.

[Outdoor Girl]

If there is any way to identify the owner, I will turn it in to the police or give my information to a manager at a store.  Maybe I'm too cynical but I wouldn't turn anything over to anyone but police.

If it is a significant amount of money, I would report that I'd found it, with my information.  Again, I would only give the police the amount.  If someone claimed it, knowing the amount, obviously, I'd give it back.

Small amounts found in stores or restrooms or the like, I'd see if I could find the owner but if I couldn't, I would keep it.

Small amounts found outside?  It's mine, all mine!   

[CharlieBraun]

A long time ago, I was at an ATM, in line, two days before Christmas.  We were in the skyway levels in Minneapolis, a busy retail area.  A woman ahead of me got $200 cash, grabbed her receipt and ran off - leaving the $$$ in the  tray. 

I picked it up, looked at  the next guy and lady in line and said "now what?"  The woman whose money it was had rushed off so quickly, none of us could see where she went.  We all looked at each other, and I decided to go into the bank branch which was right there.

Talking to customer service, and explaining, I suggested that they pull the security tapes on the ATM or check the account activity for the three minute window in question, to find the owner of the cash.  The bank, instead, said they would take the money and hold it for the woman.  I asked what they would do if she did not return for it.  After a little hemming and hawing, they admitted that the bank would keep it. 

The bank would keep it.  The bank, for which I worked, would keep the money that could easily be tracked to the person who lost it.

I gave them my contact information (including my business card that clearly ID-ed me as a bank employee), and said that if the woman returned, I would give her the cash myself.  I put my cell phone number on the back of my card as well.

When I walked out, the second person who was in line asked me what happened, and I told her.  She was just as horrified as I was.  She had a notepad and we decided to post a note by the ATM "To the lady who left her money behind at 4:14 pm on XX date, please contact the bank branch for information on the cash."

The person never called me.  I gave the money to a women's shelter that was just being constructed in Minneapolis.  And I took a bit of heat from the bank branch manager about it as well.

I don't work at that bank any more.  Have not for many a year.  That made me feel ill, and I know it really must have hurt the holiday of the woman who left the money behind.

It's been a long time since I remembered that situation.  That bank is still around.

[Softly Spoken]

I went with other. If I can't find a reliable way to return it, I keep it.

Here is my related anecdote:

I sat down on a bus seat and found $20. I quickly asked a woman nearby who had been sitting here/did they just get off? She said she didn't know/didn't see.
I was going to turn it in to the bus driver as I got off, but then he made everyone get off the bus for some reason (personal or technical problem I don't know). I tried to wave him down but he drove off. I didn't think I should give the money to any driver but the one whose bus I found it on...but would he even have turned it in? Would the person who lost it have called the bus company and asked about found money?
I didn't know. So I kept it. I have lost money too, and if I can't find it I chalk it up to karma and hope whoever has it needed it and put it to good use.

Lost money is different than identifiable items (wallet, keys, bag, toy, etc.) - unless it has distinct markings or you memorized the serial number, how could you prove it is yours?

[Barb3000]

I remember one time in college, I was at the tram stop and was getting out my money. I realized I must have dropped a $5 bill. As I looked around for it, I noticed another woman who had been waiting there with me, walking away VERY quickly. I hope karma bit her in the *ss. Oh well, maybe she needed it...

[jayhawk]

2-3 years ago, my daughter and I were leaving JCPenney and I found some folded up bills on the floor - I'm sure they'd fallen out of someone's pocket. I think there was about $45 or so. I took it up to the office and turned it in. Called a few weeks later to see if anyone had claimed it and no one knew anything about it.  Hummm.  If it were to happen again, I'd hold onto it, but let the manager know how to get ahold of me if anyone asked about some lost money - if they would let me know how much it was (within a few $$ either way), I'd give it back.

Oh well. I figure I gave a good example to my daughter and I know I did the right thing.

[zainabzks]

When I see money on the ground, I never pick it up.
I noticed that when I dropped money on the ground and retraced my steps, I would always find it.

When I was 14, we were flying out of JFK. I noticed an envelope in the trolley we were using. I opened it to find someone's passport, green card and tickets.
 
I turned it over to the airline. They belonged to some older man who was still at the gate. I bet he was relieved.