What would you do if you found a large amount or money??

JOCCO

Well-known Member
Been wanting to ask this as it has happened at least twice in my neck of the woods recently. Examples are you go to cultivate your crop field at the entrance there is garbage and a suitcase with tens of thousands!!!! 2. You find a bag in a junk car or parking lot and so on again lots of cash!!! How many of you distrust the authorities on this?? The examples and conditions are endless but what would you do???? OH IN THE CASES NEAR ME THEY DID RETURN THE MONEY TO ITS OWNER IN ONE CASE. BUT ME THINKS THERE WOULD BE SOME QUESTION AS TO WHY YOU HAD $50,000 IN A PAPER BAG IN PARKING LOT???
 
I'd be darned afraid the owner would come looking for it. If it was in my field,the drug dealer or whoever left it there,I'm sure could find out who owned the land and that would be the first person they'd come looking for. If it was in an old car or something,that might be different,depending on how I got the car. I'd want to look at the dates on the bills and see how old they were. Stashing it in a fireproof box in a crawl space and just spending a little bit at a time sounds like a good plan though. Take a trip,pay cash all along the way,I could do that.
 
Usually the authorities automatically assume it is drug related or some other "tax evasion" thing and "confiscate" it. I would take it home for "security" reasons, occasionally "testing" its authenticity by making "test" purchases.
 
Like this guy did ? Opens a can of worms. Right thing to do if it was legitimately someones life savings or something similar is to try to get it back to them. Problem is how do you do that and even with the authorities, who do you trust. Drug money that was tossed or placed to be hidden, you get over on them with the find, but then there is retaliation to contend with. The story is interesting as to what the authorities are doing to investigate the bills that were found, and that he could get it back if there is no reason not to.

I know of someone who found a bunch of old money in a home, others found out about it and tried to bully or worse to get some of it. It was old enough to have more value than its denomination. You cannot tell anyone about something like this. There was a recent murder of a lottery winner, they just came and shot him, and it did not say a robbery was completed, they just killed him anyways. Who knows what else he was involved in but people will show up if they think there is something to steal.

Years ago, I lived in a high rise apartment building in brooklyn ny. early one morning there was a murder 3 floors below me, it was drug or gang related. Knowing the porters and building workers very well, it was shown to me from a distance at the door, the unreal amount of cash that was found on scene, some was left and turned in as part of the scene, and some went elsewhere before it was an official scene, there was a split involved. People talk and that's where trouble starts. That same morning, near this group of high rises, there was a chinese man hung by the neck in a tree, no cover on him yet, NYPD was on the scene, the victim in plain sight. Was great to not live in this place anymore.
Man finds money in garden
 
I would take a couple hundred to authorities just to get it on the "news" that it had been submitted to authorities so as to deter any "druggies' from looking me up. Like they are going to come forward and claim there was a lot more ??? NOT , and at your request, the report won't divulge the amount anyway. Depending on circumstances, Silence is best.
 
A couple of years ago, my brother was following an older van down the highway, just a couple of miles from his home. There was a couple in the van who were high on drugs and they got paranoid and started throwing money out of the van. They then pulled over and ran into the corn field that was along the highway. My brother picked up the money, about $1500 worth, called the cops and gave the cops the money that he found. The cops came with a helicopter and found the couple and took them to jail. The van was full of drug paraphernalia and small amounts of drugs, but nothing major. Once the couple came down from their high, the cops just let them go. They also gave them back their money. Failing to file any charges is not new in this county because a year ago I had several vehicles stolen from me, my vehicles were found, perps were caught and the county attorney never filed charges on them either, so nothing is new here.
My brother laughs about giving them back their money because he knew that it would just go for buying more drugs, but he sleeps good at night.
 
Probably stare at it for a good long while whilst the internal argument rages. Ultimately, I have this life philosophy which summed up comes down to simply "always do the right thing". So I guess it goes to the authorities.
 
I found about 450 dollars in cash in the entrance way of a grocery store about ten years ago. I wanted somebody from management to come out to see that nobody pocketed anything but some woman decided she had to take it in regardless of what myself and a couple others thought. I have heard about people claiming the amount turned in was less than the amount originally lost therefore claiming somebody pocketed part of it. If it happens the same way again I will try to leave it untouched until the cops show up. I keep hoping some drug dealer will lose some going between Rochester and Syracuse on the highway but not being sure for the near 100 mile journey where he lost it.
 
If it was a large amount of money, I would be afraid some bent-nose thug would come looking for it - and I need both of my knee caps!
 
I find it interesting the see the number of people that would keep it.

Just like Mr. Potter.
 
If it were me, and I found it near by, I'd NEVER consider it mine. I may just keep it for a month, or so. Should someone come looking for it, I'd know it was there's. If no one comes looking for it, I'd turn it over to authorities. I surly would not keep, or spend any of it.
 
many years ago I found some fire arms below a tree in my pasture, had not been there long, gave them to the cops, 2 years later they called me and told me to come get my weapons. I'd think it would be the same with cash, or should be.
 
I would do like that old story about how the priest, rabbi and minister decided how much to divvy up from the collection plate.
I think it was the priest who said that he just took all the money and threw it up in the air.
What God wanted he could take.
But what ever dropped on the floor was the priest's.
 
A guy near me bought a new gun safe off the internet. A freight company delivered it. When he opened it up it was full of pot wrapped in clear plastic bales. He was afraid someone would come looing for it, so he called the sheriff. Never heard anything after that.
 
Reminds me of the story of the two fellows at the bar. One asks the other "If you saw someone drop a suitcase with a million dollars in it, would you give it back?" The other fellow thinks about it for a minute and says "I would if it was a poor person".
 
Have you watched the movie, "No Country For Old Men"? I assume most people that find money, would not find an amount that large though. I've only found a few stray bills here and there, just blowing down the street or in a parking lot.
 
Couple years ago my wife and I went to a local store here that does a booming business. I went to get a cart and in the cart was a bank bag stuff full. I did not look in it but went inside and went to one of the boys that own the store as I know them. I asked if they lost something and he looked kind of funny for a min. I told him what I found and he was all smiles. Seems to be one of the people that they sent to the bank got distracted and did not remember where they left the bag at. He told me that that was 3 days of proceeds in the bag. He then took me to the meat counter and gave us a beef tenderloin for returning the bag. I never once thought about keeping it
 
Well circumstances would definately make a difference but as far as "righteousness" goes, there ain't a person on here that has never used the quarter they found in the change return of the pop machine to purchase their pop. Just sayin' . The amount should have no bearing.
 
I have two of these in my life, unloaded cattle at one of the yards pulled out, parked and got out to get my numbers ticket, looked down picked up a envelop had 4500.00 in 100's. Went to the office and told them if anyone asks about an envelop tell them to look me up in the bleachers at the sale ring. The sale was nearly over before the auctioneer asked if anyone had found an envelop near the unloading area; fellow gave me 500.00 even after I told him it wasn't necessary. Now for the confusing one, bought and old f5 truck with cattle racks, hadn't been run in years, so I bring it home and start cleaning inside and out find a bag with 2500.00 under the seat, now my question is, is it mine or should it be taken to the family.
 
I agree with some comments. I would be more worried about who it belongs to if they come "looking" for it. If you know what I mean lol....
 
I work at a uniform laundry company, I find anywhere between $15-$20 of change a week in the clothes dryers. I keep it or spend it on donuts for the other employees. During fall harvest I find a lot of corn kernels too. I find a lot of small wrenches, drill bits, bolts, you name it. Best things I find are pocket knives. Gerber, Buck, Swiss Army Knives to name a few. Those get sold on Ebay.
 
In the movie "American Gangster" 2 cops found $987,000 in numbers money & turned it in (that got them in a lot of trouble with other cops). Their boss's first question was "Where is the rest of it?".
 
A 1998 movie A SIMPLE PLAN three fox hunters find a crashed plane in the woods full of cash. All that cash ruined the life's of these normal blue collar guys. Check it out. really good....
 
A few years back I was in Home Depot and found a "BIG" fat wallet on the floor, I picked it up
and was heading to find a Mgr. when this grungy big guy came running up to me screaming that I
was trying to steal his wallet, He hadn't seen me pick it up. I told him I was on my way to turn
it in to the Mgr. I just knew it was his,so I said here ,I'm glad you got it back! The SOB
didn't even say thanks....That wallet was as thick as a big fat hamburger.....Oh well...Jim in
N.M.
 
i would turn it in.but there was a saying a long time ago that if some one found a lot of money they would keep farming until it was gone.
 
when I was a kid buddy and me found a sack with about 10 grand of shredded bills in it . Had cops come check it out . They took it , never heard what the deal was . Also found a cooler full of bailed and pack weed along railroad tracks. Garbage bag full another time .
 
Turn it in to the authorities--with a written receipt and a newspaper article about how I honestly returned it. If it was drug money, no ones looking for me, it's already gone. It has been my experience that money that was unearned never does the recipient any long term good, only causes trouble and changes life for the worse. Never had the opportunity, so this is a hypothetical answer.
 

I'm surprised at the number of people who think movies are real life!

I'd turn it in I guess. Not because I'm scared of some crazy guy with a stun gun or Rocko the Mob guy. I'd turn it in because with my luck it would have to either be money from the blind kids orphanage or from some WW2 vet that needs it for his grandaughters operation or something like that, and I know beyond a doubt that some guy with a video camera would have me on film picking it up. And worst of all, I have a guilt complex that is second to none and even if God didn't think it was wrong, I would think it was wrong, and that's really all that matters in the end, isn't it?
 
I've been pondering this question since you posted it.

If I was walking down the street/parking lot and saw a bag/container laying there, it would not even cross my mind to pick it up or check what was in it. It's not mine.

Now, if I saw a wallet/purse/bank bag in same situation, I would turn it over to police for them to find rightful owner. I wouldn't even open it up.
 
With that kind of cash it is likely drug money, at least in my area. I'd hope that if it was someone's savings they would have been more careful with it. I think it depends on where it was found, if it looks like it was just discarded or apparently hidden in a remote place I'd keep it and see what happens (and I'd be carrying at all times). Eventually I'd make some small purchases if no one came looking for it or no stories in the news about honest people losing it. By turning over to the sheriff might do nothing but buy them a new cruiser or some rifles and body armor.
 
Not exactly money, but working after hurricane Rita in 2005 and my crew found about 15 rifles and shotguns in a shallow bayou. We fished them out. Called the law. They came and took them. Lawman says, "There have been a lot of home break-ins around here."(prior to the storm)I called them back about 2 months later as a follow up. They denied knowing anything about any guns being recovered.
 

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