What would you do, two?

[Ronnie]

While biking at 6 in the morning earlier this week I saw a wallet on the street just outside the driver’s side door of newer truck. The street was in a residential neighborhood with vehicles parked along both sides of it and the truck was parked just outside of a large apartment complex. The wallet was packed with over $500 in cash, cards, receipts and the owners drivers license. The drivers license indicated the owner did not live in the city I was in but one about 30 miles away.

This was not a hypothetical for me and just happened yesterday (Friday, May 6th). I know it’s easy to say, do the right thing, but that could mean different things to different people. I’m looking forward to seeing the responses and can only hope they are honest/sincere.

Additionally, I invite you all to state what you think I did. For additional context, I was with my wife at the time. We try and bike every morning before work an take the same route or close to it.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I would leave a note on the truck with my cell phone number indicating I found a wallet and call me if it is yours and take the wallet and keep it safe. If the person doesn't call me or it isn't theirs, I would turn it into the police in that city, or just drive it out to their house personally.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

I would probably take the wallet to the Apartment Manager. There is a good chance the owner is either a new tenant or was visiting someone in the complex. The apartment that we were living in while our home was being built sent out daily e-mailss to the tenants letting them know of things going on and tenants could share them as well.

Jim

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

I would leave a note on the truck with my cell phone number indicating I found a wallet and call me if it is yours and take the wallet and keep it safe. If the person doesn't call me or it isn't theirs, I would turn it into the police in that city, or just drive it out to their house personally.

I like this answer even better than mine!

Jim

 

[Acard7]

If it’s only 30 minutes to where they live I would hand deliver it, or you can take it to the police department and they can contact the owner or have a deputy/officer deliver it. Small town Iowa I would deliver it because we mostly know everyone, but big city? I’d hand it all over to the county or city authorities and let them do it!

 

[Babin Farms]

I’d take it to the police and explain to them where I had found it and let them return it to the rightful owner.

 

[TimW451]

Lazy action: drop it in a mailbox, USPS would take care of it.
More effort: Give to LEO
Even more effort: find an email or phone number to call the person. (Google them, call one of the credit card companies.)

I think you put a down payment on a tank of gas and are going to escape to LA. (Where you will quickly return by bedtime, ’cause you won’t have any money left for a hotel.)

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Last month while filling up my truck I noticed a wallet laying on top of the gas pump. It was a funny feeling picking it up and looking into someone else’s “personal space “. The drivers license matched the name on several business cards in the wallet. I called the number on the cards and asked if they had their wallet. After a brief pause and some shuffling of what sounded like stuff in the console of a vehicle, the owner said no, he didn’t. He was about 30 miles from the gas station but his direction was opposite of my intended travel. We picked an exit, told each what we were driving and met there. I hope when someone finds my wallet I have built up enough good karma to have it returned.

 

[Seno]

Similar thing happened to me when leaving the gym a few years ago, but it was only 10 miles away.... drove to the address knocked on the door and handed it to them.

 

[DiggerPA]

I wish there was an option for return it personally at the top. Try to call the person who owned it based on what was in the wallet, But if I could not, person lives far away, could not find phone number or email address etc. I would.... wait for it.... keep the cash, write a check for the amount of cash and UPS it to the owner overnight. In my opinion it is the right thing to do and would hope someone would do something like that if it wad me. Or I like the return to the police, did not think of that until reading the above.

 

[flyingnugget]

I’ve lost my wallet before and it’s a horrible stressful experience.. canceling credit cards, new license, worry about identity theft, on and on..

I would totally try and get it back to the person.
Yea, leave a note on his/her truck, drive it to their address since it’s pretty close or whatever you need to do.

Totally subscribe to Karma.

 

[Beachbummer]

Take it for safekeeping, do your very best to get it to the owner. Not hypothetical, has happened twice to me, once was followed to my home from hardware store to return it to me.

When it was me returning I found it in the community pool and spent about 20 minutes in Google rabbit hole finding the owner's number and he came to pick it up.

I guess if I was in a very bad life situation and could not resist taking the cash, which would be very bad, I would still return the wallet, cards, ids, etc. No selfish reason possible to keeping those. And the owner would still be highly appreciative at having those returned. Don't toss it please, that's hours of someone's life in there in dealing with it. ( Not necessarily for OP but for anyone that might read this!!!)

 

[OCMD]

Easy call. Do your own sleuthing and get it back to the original owner, personally. Do not trust the mail, do not trust an apartment manager, do not trust anyone. Just do it yourself. It is the right thing to do.

 

[Ronnie]

Here is how the rest of my story went:
We folded the driver’s side mirror in and tucked the wallet in the joint created by the window and the mirror. Just as we did so the lights cycled and we heard the door unlock. Dude walked out, said he saw it all, reached in his wallet and offered me / us all the cash in it. We politely declined, asked him to pay forward and biked on.

 

[sunbyrned]

My vote should be invalid. I screwed up! Ha!

 

[SantaFeTrailer]

I keep them so I can assume a new identity if necessary.

 

[flyingnugget]

Good job @Ronnie …

I’m sure you felt good about the outcome and this is what we all need to do more often. This world is getting jacked up too fast and simple acts like this help slow it down.

I believe Karma will pay it forward one day and the driver one day and this is how we make this world a better place for everyone. Thanks for doing the right thing.

Im no tree hugger but just a good ol’southern boy that likes to help good folks in tough situations. MERICA F,yea ???

 

[Farny]

Easy call. Do your own sleuthing and get it back to the original owner, personally. Do not trust the mail, do not trust an apartment manager, do not trust anyone. Just do it yourself. It is the right thing to do.

Found one in the past - called a few numbers in the wallet, found the right person. They were having the worst week but me tracking them down returning the wallet made it a lot better. Actually spoke to them the other day - 5 years later! Do the right thing folks someday it might be you.

 

[Farny]

Good job @Ronnie …

I’m sure you felt good about the outcome and this is what we all need to do more often. This world is getting jacked up too fast and simple acts like this help slow it down.

I believe Karma will pay it forward one day and the driver one day and this is how we make this world a better place for everyone. Thanks for doing the right thing.

Im no tree hugger but just a good ol’southern boy that likes to help good folks in tough situations. MERICA F,yea ???

MERICA ! Lol - something to be said about good ole southern boys, cowboys & rednecks. Is a culture to help someone in need.

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

At this stage of life I know what other peoples Ca$h and wallet treasure means to them, I'd scoop it up and find a way to return it...did this a few years ago and just happened to avert a catastrophe for a man who was moving from HI for the mainland and dropped the wallet out in the parking lot of a retail establishment. He back tracked his movements and the retail establishment contacted me and we met back in the parking lot. Can't imagine having tickets, rentals etc lined up and not being able to fly out not to mention the HUGE Hassle of trying to replace something like a DL here in the 50th State of Confusion.