What would you do if you found a lost wallet

c68zapdsm5i1ru

A friend of mine lost her wallet a couple of weeks ago. She reported it missing but heard nothing, so cancelled her cards, and started organising to get a new license.

The Guards rang her a couple of days ago. Apparently someone had found it, posted they'd found it on lost.ie and waited for two weeks then decided to hand it in to the Guards.

At least they were honest, but I can't imagine hanging onto someone's wallet for two weeks and making minimal effort to contact them. Just wondering what other people would do if they found it. I'd either drop it to the address on the license if it was nearby, or drop it into a Garda station immediately.

sjb25

Depends of how much was in it

SmartinMartin

Straight to the nearest Garda Station, then on to social media.

donegaLroad

Aliyah Clever Pretzel wrote: »

A friend of mine lost her wallet a couple of weeks ago. She reported it missing but heard nothing, so cancelled her cards, and started organising to get a new license.

The Guards rang her a couple of days ago. Apparently someone had found it, posted they'd found it on lost.ie and waited for two weeks then decided to hand it in to the Guards.

At least they were honest, but I can't imagine hanging onto someone's wallet for two weeks and making minimal effort to contact them. Just wondering what other people would do if they found it. I'd either drop it to the address on the license if it was nearby, or drop it into a Garda station immediately.

It would be easy to trace the person via their bank cards, so I would do that. I'd say you could get the wallet back to the owner within the hour so long as it was during banking hours.

s15r330

Aliyah Clever Pretzel wrote: »

A friend of mine lost her wallet a couple of weeks ago. She reported it missing but heard nothing, so cancelled her cards, and started organising to get a new license.

The Guards rang her a couple of days ago. Apparently someone had found it, posted they'd found it on lost.ie and waited for two weeks then decided to hand it in to the Guards.

At least they were honest, but I can't imagine hanging onto someone's wallet for two weeks and making minimal effort to contact them. Just wondering what other people would do if they found it. I'd either drop it to the address on the license if it was nearby, or drop it into a Garda station immediately.

Pull the dosh out of it and fire it into the nearest ditch

retro:electro

If I found someone's wallet I'd 100% hand it in. A random tenner or twenty somewhere- finders keepers! I was paying for parking in the hospital a few weeks ago and I found a €50. I had to hand it in I didn't have the heart to keep it. I just thought of some old dear scrambling in her bag for change for the machine and she dropped her money. Anything more than €20 I'd always hand in where I found it.

endacl

donegaLroad wrote: »

It would be easy to trace the person via their bank cards, so I would do that. I'd say you could get the wallet back to the owner within the hour so long as it was during banking hours.

No bank will do anything other then ask you to hand the card in to a branch.

diomed

If there was a phone number or e-mail address I would try to contact them that way.
If no phone but there was an address in it I would go to the address.
If no address I would phone the bank that issued the bank card (if there is one) and tell them I had found the wallet and card. They could contact the person and we could arrange to return the wallet to their address or to an address they prefer (bank, garda station).

Kimbot

I would become that person until Im found out :P

super_furry

Found one before, looked up the owner on Facebook, sent a message and met up with them a couple of hours later.

Are Am Eye

Just mark 'return to sender' on it, and throw in to any post box.

cruizer101

donegaLroad

endacl wrote: »

No bank will do anything other then ask you to hand the card in to a branch.

Yep, hand the wallet into the bank and get the bank to contact the owner

keeponhurling

I did find one the other week in an airport.
Handed it into the information desk

brainfreeze

endacl wrote: »

No bank will do anything other then ask you to hand the card in to a branch.

I thought this, but got a call from AIB to tell me they've put a hold on my card, as someone had found my wallet. I only lost it 15 mins previous so had no idea I have even lost it at that point. They gave me the persons number to ring, and told me to ring back when I had it and they'd reactivate my card.

This was only two months ago.

McMurphy

Ha, good question. I actually found one on Saturday past walking into a butcher's , there was a purse lying on the tarmac.

Picked it up, had a brief look inside, I reckon there was about €140 or so in €20 notes, a few bank cards, and a Moldovan id card of some description.

Put it in my pocket, and debated with myself what the best course of action was.

Would I take it to the local garda station, maybe give into the butchers, or walk into the local Moldovan shop, and leave it there.

I purchased my meat, and left the butcher's, kind of deciding that the best action I could do was leave my phone number in the butchers and Moldovan shop (right next to each other) telling them I had found the purse, and asking the owner to contact me.

When leaving the butchers, I spotted a female in obvious distress scsnning the tarmac and footpath, obviously retracing her steps.

I asked her if she was ok, and if she had lost anything?

The look on her face when she was reunited with her purse was very satisfying. She told me she didnt care about the money, it was her ID etc that was important to her.

Not wanting to glorify myself as some angel or anything, but I know in my heart and soul that there could have been people a lot worse than me who might have picked it up that day.

PandaPoo

My husband lost his wallet and they dropped it to our house! I must have had a prescription in it with my address on it, I can't remember what it was. Thought that was very nice.

Another time he lost in when he was shopping, a few days later the person who found it contacted him on Facebook about it.

Gamer Bhoy 89

I would also probably try to get in contact with the owner and meet up.
Someone done that for me a good few years ago when I lost my passport.

With almost everyone being on social media it's much more feasible nowadays to solve issues like these (provided you're a respectable member of society and not a thieving cnut).
I don't know if I would be able to hand it in to a Garda station. I'd be conscious of their level of trust. (as a Garda car drives past me this very moment lol)

But yeah. Contact with the owner a.s.a.p. and failing that, maybe a bank.

picturehangup

Was in a bank in Miami a number of years ago, trying to organise how to get money from back home via Western Union (which the bank didn't do), having just been robbed of my handbag containing passports, credit card, dollars, the lot.
Very traumatic at the time, but in same bank, I noticed a wallet left lying on a counter, picked it up, and immediately handed it into main reception desk. Even holding the belonging of another in my hand, despite my recent experience of being robbed, felt so wrong. I reckon I was being tested that day, or at least it certainly felt like it. Strange experience.

Sabre0001

How tempting would it be to keep / raid this wallet ($1,500 in it): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/teen-hands-wallet-back-in-hero_us_59c2314ce4b0186c2206ea4f

I suppose the guards is the first port of call for handing in a wallet. Alternatively, do some Facebook detective sleuthing (although this isn't a perfect method because if you send them a message it'll end up in that other folder that FB doesn't notify you about)

whoopsadoodles

I found someone's debit card last year. I rang the bank's lost and stolen line. They rang her. She rang me, and I dropped it to her house. All within 40 minutes of her losing it.

I'd do the same with a whole wallet obviously.

I definitely wouldn't hang on to it that long though. I'd have almost certainly found the person very quickly if there was anything at all that could be used to identify them.

wakka12

Id always hand it in without fail. i know how much of a pain it is replacing all your cards,ID, memberships cards etc, the money too. wouldnt wish it on anyone..just imagine myself in their position. id try locate them on Facebook first or if their address is in it, after that Id hand it to gardai.

Peatys

Try to find them on social media. Then the guards.

wakka12

Rick Shaw wrote: »

Ha, good question. I actually found one on Saturday past walking into a butcher's , there was a purse lying on the tarmac.

Picked it up, had a brief look inside, I reckon there was about €140 or so in €20 notes, a few bank cards, and a Moldovan id card of some description.

Put it in my pocket, and debated with myself what the best course of action was.

Would I take it to the local garda station, maybe give into the butchers, or walk into the local Moldovan shop, and leave it there.

I purchased my meat, and left the butcher's, kind of deciding that the best action I could do was leave my phone number in the butchers and Moldovan shop (right next to each other) telling them I had found the purse, and asking the owner to contact me.

When leaving the butchers, I spotted a female in obvious distress scsnning the tarmac and footpath, obviously retracing her steps.

I asked her if she was ok, and if she had lost anything?

The look on her face when she was reunited with her purse was very satisfying. She told me she didnt care about the money, it was her ID etc that was important to her.

Not wanting to glorify myself as some angel or anything, but I know in my heart and soul that there could have been people a lot worse than me who might have picked it up that day.

Haha how does somebody just drop their handbag on the road and completely forget about it?? i dont understand :pac:

branie2

I'd hand it in to the guards

kylith

I found a wallet a while ago and called the owner's bank, who called him and gave him my number. I arranged to meet him and gave him his wallet back. The next day he called me and accused me of skimming his card and stealing from him.

McMurphy

wakka12 wrote: »

Haha how does somebody just drop their handbag on the road and completely forget about it?? i dont understand :pac:

No it was a purse, and I reckon it fell out of her handbag.

fleet_admiral

After I finished work last I went to the cash machine and took out a few hundred for shopping today and other stuff. Went for a pint but as soon as I ordered I got a call so ran outside to answer it. A guy followed me out to tell me he put my wallet that I'd left open on the bar (a very busy bar) behind the counter with the girl.
It could easily have been tapped. Fair play to the guy. I bought him a few pints to say thanks.
So yes, if I found a wallet I'd hand it in

Seve OB

found a bunch of cash when i was a teenager

later on found out it was belonging to a neighbour so gave it back to her

barely got a thanks, let alone any kind of reward

c68zapdsm5i1ru

kylith wrote: »

I found a wallet a while ago and called the owner's bank, who called him and gave him my number. I arranged to meet him and gave him his wallet back. The next day he called me and accused me of skimming his card and stealing from him.

:eek: What happened?

uberwolf

I've found at least two. One had a drivers licence and an engagement ring in it. Garda were given it and the owner dropped up two bottles off wine to the house.

The second was just outside a shop, so i popped it in to that shop and posted on the Dublin city forum where the owners wife saw my post. I got a pm thanking me i think.

osarusan

Readers Digest did an experiment a few years ago, dropping wallets with the local equivalent of $50 as well as ID and a family photo in 16 cities, to see which were returned in the highest numbers.

Helsinki was top, with 11/12 wallets returned.

Lisbon was 1/12, and the couple who returned that wallet were on holiday, not local.

gmisk

Aliyah Clever Pretzel wrote: »

:eek: What happened?

Hopefully he got a punch in the face...cheeky sod!

Agent Smith

endacl wrote: »

No bank will do anything other then ask you to hand the card in to a branch.

I found a wallet with a three figured sum in it a while back.

handed it into the local AIB (there was a AIB Debit card in it)
Bank offical asked for my details.

Got a call 2 days later thanking me!



I couldnt in good conscious keep a wallet or Purse I found.

quad_red

endacl wrote: »

No bank will do anything other then ask you to hand the card in to a branch.

Not true. Found wallet, called AIB and provided details. They then passed my details onto the person who called me directly. Met that evening and I passed it over.

Happy to do the right thing but the total lack of appreciation was a bit galling!

Kirby

When I was young, I found a wallet in a car park. It had several hundred in it. A lot of money for a kid. I wanted to keep it but my Dad insisted we track down the guy from the wallet and return it. I was not happy.

So we find their home number and call them up on my Dads fancy mobile phone (they were very new at the time) and tell them we have it. They give us their address and WE DRIVE TO THEM. We knock at the door, the wife answers. She looks at us, grunts, snatches the wallet and closes the door on us. Not even a thank you. Nothing. This was a lot of money at the time. At least a weeks wages. And yet that was the reaction we got.

We are heading home and I'm fairly fuming. He turned to me and said something along the lines of "Next time, you can keep it."

Lesson learned.

redbel05

In a bigger town/city, I would definitely bring it to the local garda station. If there wasn't a Garda station nearby (such as the town where I live),I might leave it into the nearest business. Then onto social media.

I was in the unfortunate position of having lost my keys a couple of months ago. Ended up having to get a new car key cut(no spare), replace the locks in our business premises (too much stealable equipment). Then the stress of not having a car until the new key was cut, having to get a neighbours kid to crawl in through the open bathroom window to let me into my home... Complete mess!

Two and a half weeks later I got a call from Cara pharmacy that my keys had just been handed in to them and they had gotten my phone number by scanning the fob on it. Turns out a customer had lifted them off the counter at work, and then decided to hold onto them for a while

corner of hells

I found a purse a few years ago , I busily going through it after pocketing the cash when the owner appeared.
Spent a few nights on the spare room , turned out the purse was my wife's.
Who'd leave a purse on the kitchen table, it's not as if I went through her handbag.

OldMrBrennan83

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De Bhál

Patww79 wrote: »

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had a wallet lost wallet returned to me years ago. Gave the person 50 from it.

Gyalist

Last June I lost my wallet containing €980 and my bank cards on Rathmines Road at 2:30 in the morning. I discovered that it was missing when I got home so immediately retraced my steps but didn't find it. At first light I was out again looking for it. I had already reconciled myself to losing the cash but was hoping that I'd at least get my cards back.

Around 8:00 I got a call from the office of a sports club where I'm a member that the Gardai in Rathmines had rung at 4:00 am and left a message on the voicemail saying that my wallet had been handed in. They couldn't trace my address through the bank but instead called the club as my membership card had my name on it.

It turned out that the wallet was found by a young guy on his way home from work at The Bleeding Horse who took it immediately to the station.

Thank you very much Sean @ The Bleeding Horse.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Kirby wrote: »

When I was young, I found a wallet in a car park. It had several hundred in it. A lot of money for a kid. I wanted to keep it but my Dad insisted we track down the guy from the wallet and return it. I was not happy.

So we find their home number and call them up on my Dads fancy mobile phone (they were very new at the time) and tell them we have it. They give us their address and WE DRIVE TO THEM. We knock at the door, the wife answers. She looks at us, grunts, snatches the wallet and closes the door on us. Not even a thank you. Nothing. This was a lot of money at the time. At least a weeks wages. And yet that was the reaction we got.

We are heading home and I'm fairly fuming. He turned to me and said something along the lines of "Next time, you can keep it."

Lesson learned.

She was a rude wagon, but the vast majority of people would have been falling over themselves with thanks, and probably have insisted on giving you a few quid as well. Why let one ignorant person prevent you from doing the decent thing in future?

dubstarr

I lost my purse on teh da of my mams funeral.Didnt notice till the next day.There was nothing in it but a few bits and bobs.

Somebody knocked and handed it in to the house.They found it on the road,so i must have dropped it gett ig out of the car.I was very greatful.And i would hand in any purse or wallet i found.

kylith

Aliyah Clever Pretzel wrote: »

:eek: What happened?

gmisk wrote: »

Hopefully he got a punch in the face...cheeky sod!

He got short shrift alright. I asked him if he really thought I'd have take hours out of my day to track him down and get his wallet back to him if I'd robbed him, and he didn't have an answer for that; just grunted and hung up. Bad cess to the git.

On the other side of the coin I found a document wallet (the same day, coincidentally), and even though it didn't look like much I tracked down the owner of that too, who I met on my way to meet Wallet Guy. Turned out it had reports from his work in it and he fell over himself with thanks. Didn't offer me anything, but gratitude is reward enough.

I got €50 from another guy for getting his phone back to him, which was no mean feat cos it was off (someone had robbed it and, unable to unlock it, dumped it in my garden) so it meant the phone shop tracking him through the sim number or something. Was tempted to keep it and get it unlocked cos it was a pretty new iphone, but I kept thinking how I'd feel if it was me, so I couldnt keep it in good conscience.

cml387

I once found a wallet or large purse on the side of a busy road miles from the town (I was cycling).

I looked to see if there was any ID but apart from a small sum of money I found a number of blank social welfare cards (the white credit card type).

I handed in to the gardai. I wonder if the guards were interested why someone should have social welfare card blanks?

TheIrishGrover

I've found a wallet. Credit cards in it, no cash. Contacted CC company and the person contacted me. Confirmed there was no cash in it first and then posted it to them. Found a phone 2 days later. Was an old phone, no lock. Phones "Home" they lived around corner and dropped it in.
I would never pocket a wallet or phone as all of us either have been or could be in that position very easily at any time and you'd like to think the finder would do the same.

andekwarhola

Dunno about handing in a wallet full of cash to a Garda station. Get the feeling it might end up behind the till in Coppers for a Christmas do.

I'd try and ring the credit card company, company or bank if there was cards in it.

My kids found 50 euro in a plain little purse thingy near our street before. No other identifying info so I let them choose and buy toys with it to give to my office Christmas SDVP appeal.

I found a phone before and was able to arrange to meet the owner by ringing some numbers in it.

kylith

andekwarhola wrote: »

Dunno about handing in a wallet full of cash to a Garda station. Get the feeling it might end up behind the till in Coppers for a Christmas do.

Not necessarily. My niece found a good sum of money a few years ago and handed it in to the Gardai who took her contact details. When it hadn't been claimed 4 months later they called my niece and she wound up €400 richer.

Permabear

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whoopsadoodles

Permabear wrote: »

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It's the same here in Ireland.

OldMrBrennan83

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