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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

191 replies

yunogin · 12/02/2020 19:51

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!

OP posts:

EmmaC78 · 12/02/2020 20:47

*You post that you've found a gift card in town, no more. And ask if anybody has lost one.
You say that 'owner' must message you with day it was lost, how much was on there and what the card looked like.

Easy.*

This. Only the owner is going to know these details. I would put something up on Facebook and if no one responds within a week I would keep it.

smashstore · 12/02/2020 20:48

And yes, it is called autism spectrum disorder, because there's a whole range (spectrum) of different traits and how they affect each individual with autism is different. It is not a linear spectrum from not at all to absolutely.

This explains perfectly what I meant by my earlier comment of misunderstanding what the 'spectrum' is.

izzywizzygood · 12/02/2020 20:48

Huh? Don't you have anything better to worry about?/More productive use of your time?

VanGoghsDog · 12/02/2020 20:48

I have never.... ever... heard of anyone doing this. And I worked in retail for 15 years.

What has working in retail got to do with it? I worked in retail for ten years and I have heard of it. You'd only know if a customer lost one and tried to find a way to use it from the photo.

I keep photos of everything on my phone (and backed up to the cloud), passport, driving licence, router code, Netflix password, credit cards, anything really, in case I lose it or need to know the details when I've not got the item to hand.

But then, most people I know are practical people, so that's probably it.

SerenDippitty · 12/02/2020 20:49

*Why can't people read?
It's not a Sports Direct gift card, you can't "take it to the shop" because it's not issued by a shop.

It's one of those high street shopping cards you can use in lots of shops.*

But there was a receipt with it, which will presumably show where it was bought.

Original poster

yunogin · 12/02/2020 20:50

It was bought in a post office 15 miles away

OP posts:

MRex · 12/02/2020 20:51

Contact Lost Property at the store and give your details, ask them to get the owner to contact you for the card directly. Contact whoever issued the gift card and do the same. Then when they contact you say DS found the card, he was going to hand it in but then spent £7 by mistake. He's very sorry and returning the £7 with the card. Wish them well. Done.

Justaboy · 12/02/2020 20:51

Ah! phone call to said post orfice then??..

IhateBoswell · 12/02/2020 20:52

That's really interesting. Perhaps you could tell us the difference

What's interesting is someone who claims to work with autistic people would think there is a difference.

Tombliwho · 12/02/2020 20:52

IhateBoswell

PeakingDuck · 12/02/2020 20:52

What has working in retail got to do with it? I worked in retail for ten years and I have heard of it. You'd only know if a customer lost one and tried to find a way to use it from the photo

Umm... because I used to deal with one or two queries from people who’s lost gift cards?

But then, most people I know are practical people, so that's probably it

Yeah that’ll be it 😂😂

You’d be better off saying passwords/sensitive data to a Key Pass type system rather than photos... just saying.

smashstore · 12/02/2020 20:54

What's interesting is someone who claims to work with autistic people would think there is a difference.

That's what I meant.

Skysblue · 12/02/2020 20:55

I’m amazed by the number of people telling the OP that it is definitely an offence. The situation is more complicated than that, as explained on the bbc link someone posted above and also eg here www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2013/nov/20/finders-keepers-legal-position

As I understand it...

If he had found it somewhere where he had a good chance of tracing the owner (eg in a shop or a cashpoint) then taking it would be definitely dishonest and that makes it illegal.

If he eg found it in the street and honestly believed that there was zero chance of ever finding the owner, then he wasn’t committing an offence cos he wasn’t meaning to be dishonest. It literally depends what was going on in his head.

OP there is no chance of your son being arrested for this. I suggest you take steps to try and find the owner eg put up a sign at the bench saying something like “did you lose a gift card here? Email me what shop its for and the amount and we can return it to you.” In the unlikely event that the owner sees the sign, you can post the card to them. If they sat on the bench for a while, they might come back to check.

If it would make you feel better you could hand in the card to nearest police station or even post it to them anonymously.

Beautiful3 · 12/02/2020 20:56

I dont think the police will be interested! To me a voucher is like money. If I see someone drop it/its in a wallet/in a shop then I return it. If it's in public, on the floor I would take it and spend it.

ravenmum · 12/02/2020 20:56

We tried to cancel the order but you have ring Sports Direct to do that and explain why which seemed a bad idea.
The one time I nicked something from a shop as a small child, my dad noticed and made me come with him to take it back, setting an example of honestly admitting to your "crimes" and people forgiving you because they can see that you regret it, and know that children make mistakes and learn from them. Rather than covering up mistakes as a shameful secret and living in fear of being found out. Personally I wouldn't want my kids to be afraid of the police.

VanGoghsDog · 12/02/2020 20:56

You’d be better off saying passwords/sensitive data to a Key Pass type system rather than photos... just saying.

Why?
The phone is double factor authenticated, only opens with my face and fingerprint, and Dropbox also has a password.

It's no less secure than a "key pass type system"

I used to deal with one or two queries from people who’s lost gift cards?

So the one of two queries you dealt with were from people who didn't take a photo. Fine. Next time, suggest to people that they take a photo in case they lose the next one. You will have helped someone out :)

PasswordPatroller · 12/02/2020 20:57

I remember when a woman was prosecuted for pocketing some cash she found on a shop floor. The owner went back to the shop after realising they had lost their cash and the CCTV had captured the woman pocketing it. I think it was either £10 or £20.

ravenmum · 12/02/2020 20:58

If you find cash and keep it, you can end up paying a fine if you are caught. www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/what-law-says-about-handing-lost-money-police-1310163

VanGoghsDog · 12/02/2020 21:00

Contact Lost Property at the store

What "store"?

OP - I would take it back to that post office where it was bought. As someone said, someone has lost a significant amount of money (a weird amount though, did they really buy a shopping card for £77?) and might really need it or it may have been a gift they were going to give someone. The PO may recall selling it if they don't sell many and it may be a regular customer.

ChristmasCarcass · 12/02/2020 21:00

do people REALLY say "cops"

The kids round here call them “the Feds”. We do not live anywhere with federal anything, just normal met police. Guess Feds sounds cooler

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 12/02/2020 21:01

Really? Where was that?

SerenDippitty · 12/02/2020 21:02

It might have been a work leaving gift or something.

RedRiverShore · 12/02/2020 21:04

It was probably £77 as someone had spent some already

Rosehipbubbles · 12/02/2020 21:05

top it up with £7 if you can but don't stress if not
hand it in to police station - as found on bench
if it's not claimed in a certain period of time ( put it as a reminder in your phone) you can go back and get it as it legally becomes yours.

This is what happened to my dd when my dd found £20 on a bench - she got is back a few months later from the police station.

VanGoghsDog · 12/02/2020 21:05

It was probably £77 as someone had spent some already

Possibly. The OP will know from the receipt.

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