Stupid teen son found a lost gift card and spent some of the money, what will happen?

[yunogin]

Could honestly slap him but have refrained so far!

He's 16, usually a good boy but told me he had a lapse of judgement when he did this and only panicked afterwards.

He didn't nick the card as in grabbed it off someone, he says he found it on a bench in the town centre. I believe him as he isn't a teen delinquent. He mostly stays in his bedroom playing games, he'd only gone into town to pick up something for me from the shop.

He idiotically brought it home and purchased something for £7 on Sports Direct. He used a Sports Direct account with his name and birthday etc linked. Then immediately after he did it he became overwhelmed with panic and regret and ran downstairs with the gift card white as a sheet and told me everything. I laid into him at first about the moral and legal implications of this but he's terrified the cops will be round any second. We tried to cancel the order but you have ring Sports Direct to do that and explain why which seemed a bad idea.

He found the gift card in its sleeve with a receipt, but I've gone on to the issuers website (it's one of those high street ones that can be spent at many stores) and used the number on the card to check the balance and the owner last used it weeks ago. They clearly bought it out to spend more of it today and lost it. It's still got £70 on it so the poor sod will be looking high and low for it. I'm very ashamed of my son but I don't want an idiotic mistake landing him in court.

Apparently the company won't do anything about a stolen card unless you provide them with the number or receipt. So unless they remember the number there is nothing the owner can do which I feel awful about but as I said, I don't want DS ending up in court. I wish there was some way to return it to its rightful owner without possibly getting DS in a world of shit. Though they may have written down the number in which it will be really easy for them to trace DS as he hardly covered his tracks!

I've considered contacting the gift card issuers and explaining everything and apologizing on my sons behalf, and also saying I will get the Sports Direct order refunded to the card but will they contact the police? Shit shit shit!

Good explanation of law here:-

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-39130530

I totally get why he's stressed about it.

Is this even illegal?

Of course it is. However, as PP say, it's highly unlikely anyone will do anything about it.

How would anyone know? A lost gift card is not able to be traced to a particular person, it’s not a credit card!

Hopefully his brush with crime will put him off doing anything similar in future!
Don’t worry OP, he sounds like a good kid.

God, everyone's so cool on MN tonight. OP's got herself into a state. She's looking to be reassured or advised, not mocked.

Hand in the card to the shop saying it was found on a bench. Shop assistant will say thanks. You walk away. Forget the £7.

To be honest, OP, I think you need to start preparing to flee the country - remember to get fake ID. Your ds will get 25 to life for this misdemeanour... (seriously though, put a post on your local town FB group and if no one comes forward, spend it.

Nothing will happen. The card won't be traced. No need to panic.

It’s theft by finding - it is illegal. The card isn’t yours. You don’t have the right to pilfer the balance. Gift cards are treated the same as cash at many retailers so it’s not necessarily any different from rinsing someone’s lost cash/bank card

If you want to cancel the order just tell them you bought the wrong thing/want to change delivery method or address etc.

As far as what to do with it, just cut it up or cancel it? I wouldn’t spend it as again it isn’t yours and you’d be teaching your son a shit lesson in life.

Definitely over reacting.

If you can't trace the owner by FB/ paper ad on bench where found, how about donating it to a good cause or using it to buy items for a good cause (women's refuge, youth club or similar)? No point giving it back to the shop, they will just pocket the profit.

If I find cash lying around I give it to charity. It makes me feel better to think that if I lost money that somemone else would donate it to a good cause (even though I know that in reality they'd probably just keep it ;-).

DH just home and saying the worst the owner can do is get the card blocked and that's only if by some chance they've remembered the number on the card.

He's told to me get it spent just in case

This is only the beginning of his life of crime. Lock your doors tonight. Who knows what else he might be capable of.

OP I am not going to mock you. It's good that you have such strong morals and that your son does too (for the most part)

Honestly though, we waited in three days for the police to turn up on the back of a break in resulting in the loss of laptops etc, and they never arrived - this is going to not be at the bottom of their list - it's not even going to make the list. Relax

Use it as an opportunity to talk about ethics by all means, but if this is the worst thing your teen has ever done, I applaud you.

Gift card fraud is now under Scams by Action Fraud. Companies are on the look out for it as often gift cards are used to launder money from crime (including card fraud) and will definitely be on the look out for easy targets like your son. Suggest you return the card to the company and explain what happened and offer to pay the £7 back.

Mild ASD - He is either autistic or he is not.

Also: his reaction after the event does seem extreme, are you sure he found it?

Top it up with £7 and hand it into nearest police station where you found it. I think someone would probably inform police if there was £70 still let on account. Your son will have learnt from his mistake OP.

It's theft by finding OF there is an intention to permanently deprive the owner of the money. If he hands it into the police, owns up to it being a momentary lapse of judgement and apologises, nothing will happen.

IF, not OF.

He told me to get it spent just in case. Did he really, now?
Did you just post to have people tell you it’s perfectly fine to do this? From hysterical handwringing about possible court appearances to “ah, well, DH just told me to spend it” inside 20 minutes 🧐

I would try and locate the owner via FB. If that didn’t work, I’d see if it was registered with Sports Direct. If that didn’t work either, I would go and buy some warm jumpers/socks/trousers/gloves/scarves and take them down to the local homeless shelter.

Hand in the card to the shop saying it was found on a bench. Shop assistant will say thanks. You walk away. Forget the £7.

I agree. This is what I would do and in the unlikely event they came back for the £7, I would apologise, say it was done by mistake and offer to pay it. The end.

Am I the only one who would’ve just spent it all it’s not like it’s ever going to be returned to its rightful owner so seems a waste for it not be spent!

If you put it on facebook you will have every kid in town telling you it is theirs!
If you take it to the police, if no-one claims it then it will be yours in 30 days, I think. According to very old urban myth.

Or you could try handing it in to the police, although in our town we don’t have a proper police station to hand stuff in at!