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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Should we keep the money we found?

293 replies

Exboltqueen · 18/10/2021 19:11

This morning at soft play Ds found four £1 at the bottom of a slide. He was really excited but I explained how it wasn't ours and it had fallen out of someone's pocket and we handed it in to the reception. Unaware of the £4, on the way home DH found £100 in rolled up notes. He stood there for a while and didn't see anyone looking for it. I feel like it's good karma and we should keep it. My husband thinks we should give it to the police. (We are low income so feels like a lot of money)
So
YABU - you should practice what you preach to your son, hand it in.
YANBU - enjoy the good karma and keep it

OP posts:
Ontheblink · 19/10/2021 20:08

Post it on a neighbour hood group, don’t say the amount or street, just the area. Hopefully the person who lost it will be on there

ESPjane · 19/10/2021 20:20

Last year I found £360 on the floor walking to drop my daughter to school, and I handed it in to the police station after 28days they said call up and if no one claimed it’s mine, well after that time is was and felt better knowing I gave that person a chance to claim….. also I did read it can be a criminal offence to keep the money…. I would hand it in as it could be someone’s who really needs it…. X

Dibbydoos · 19/10/2021 20:34

I lost £160 on maternity leave once, I was so gutted. Sad We ate a very basic diet for the rest of the month. I doubt I'd have got it back had it been handed in cos other than looking where I'd been in the bucketing rain with the dog, I wouldn't have gone to the police. Smile I was on the way to the local bank with it, in case anyone is wondering....

SleepingStandingUp · 19/10/2021 20:42

@Amaksy

I once found £100 in the cinema and handed it in. They said to check 2 days after if unclaimed and I did- it was unclaimed but they gave me 2 tickets back instead. I asked what happened to the money as I believe you can't really add £100 to the till without anyone noticing ah well!
What did they say? You'd hope charity box but....
Yourcatisnotsorry · 19/10/2021 20:43

I would post on local groups to try to find the owner. Or put up a poster if it’s in a park or somewhere. I’m not sure the police would be much use, I tried to hand a gold ring I found to a police officer who refused to deal with it and directed me to a closed police station.

LouH1981 · 19/10/2021 20:51

As your friendly criminal defence solicitor, if you keep it, it is theft by finding. You have a legal obligation to try to locate the owner the obvious method being handing it in to the police station.

pinkstripeycat · 19/10/2021 20:57

If you keep it it’s called theft by finding

Oswina · 19/10/2021 21:08

I'd keep it and just not tell DC. Tell them you handed it in.

Barney60 · 19/10/2021 21:10

Hand it it, and buy a lottery ticket, your obviously on a winning streak!

Oswina · 19/10/2021 21:13

The bottom line is, if you had lost it and whoever had found it hadn't handed it in and kept it for themselves how would you feel?

I'm low-income (free school meals). I wouldn't even go to the police station to check if it had been handed in.

Oswina · 19/10/2021 21:16

Best of both - take some of the money, hand the rest in.

DazzleDrops · 19/10/2021 21:27

How would theft by finding be established?
I found money a few years ago in a small seaside place, I was going to hand it in but the police station was closed so I kept it. 😳

santabetterwashhishands · 19/10/2021 21:28

What would keeping it teach your son 🤔
Your being a hypocrite

Oswina · 19/10/2021 21:33

What would keeping it teach your son 🤔

You don't need to tell him.

yesterdayisinthepast · 19/10/2021 21:50

I would have kept that without second thought😂 good on you for handing it into the police tho!
Seriously hope they contact you to let you keep it!

yesterdayisinthepast · 19/10/2021 21:55

@Pelsall116

The bottom line is, if you had lost it and whoever had found it hadn't handed it in and kept it for themselves how would you feel?
I'm not the OP but if I lost money I wouldn't even think to go to a police station. Unfortunately if I'd lost money it'd be my own problem, I wouldn't think someone's a bad person because they didn't hand it into the police lol.

My boyfriend lost a 50 note the other day and we both said, 'well whoever found it I hope they enjoy it.' More of a loss on his part but doesn't have anything to do with the moral standards of the person who found it.
Finders keepers and allWink

yesterdayisinthepast · 19/10/2021 22:00

@Chumleymouse

People here are weird…….. “ couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t hand it in “. 🤪. When I find something I just shove it in my pocket and don’t give it a second thought, just oooo lucky me and off I go 😀.

I found a nice fleece Berghuas beanie the other day, took in home washed it …… fits lovely 👑

This is me😂 I was pushing my daughter around in her buggy on Friday and saw £20 on the floor. I didn't see the person who dropped it and looked around to see if anyone was near or if it could have been them. No one was around so I picked it up happily and gave it to my little sister😉

Someone quoted this saying it's theft but I can't find their post.
How is it theft if someone's lost it, do you actually know what theft is

Sunset999 · 19/10/2021 22:01

Id keep it

RunningFromInsanity · 19/10/2021 22:06

If it wasn’t immediately obvious where it had come from I would probably keep it.
Maybe stick £20 in a charity tin.

LouH1981 · 19/10/2021 22:19

The legal definition of theft is ‘dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it’
It’s theft.
If it’s not yours and you know it’s not yours and you take it with no intention of returning it then you have committed an offence.

Ddot · 19/10/2021 23:13

Hand it in to police that way they can have a nice drink with it

Ddot · 19/10/2021 23:15

Ask on face book if anyone has lost some cash. Say in basic area but not how money was or how much

Roxy69 · 20/10/2021 00:16

I can't even believe you are considering keeping it. It's wrong on every.level and is illegal in any case. Finders is not keepers in law.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 20/10/2021 00:20

How on Earth can you expect a child to hand in £4 and then pocket £100 yourselves???

Harmonypuss · 20/10/2021 01:36

@Tal45

if it was £5 of £10 I'd give it to charity but for that amount I would hand it in.

Giving it to charity might make you feel good but even £5 could mean someone going without food because they've lost that cash. If is lost £5 it would mean me going without for at least 2 days.