$98k found and returned from a Craigs List purchase

[ZaireinHD]

foxnewsinsider.com/2013/11/12/connecticut-rabbi-finds-98k-used-desk-returns-it-original-owner

this story is all over the place but I like this link to be a better link to use.

"Muroff returned the money to the seller, who had apparently forgotten she put her inheritance in the desk."

the answer is NO! I would not return the cash!

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

So you would keep the cash that was in an item you purchased on Craig's List instead of returning it to the rightful owner because they had forgotten it was in the piece sold?

I could not live with the guilt of stealing from someone - especially that large amount of money - it would be unconscionable to even consider it - and weigh heavily on my shoulders to be in possession of it - OR use it.

The money would be returned to the rightful owner.




.

[ZaireinHD]

no problem keeping it. it's money lost. and no one would ask me for it. I would not volunteer or ask the seller.
It's mine and it came with the desk

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Nice to know where your morals stand.

You do realize that's right up there in the same category as grand theft, don't you?

You do realize that if the person reported to Craig's List (and/or the police) that the money had been accidentally left in the piece of furniture - you could be tracked down as the purchaser, don't you?

[ZaireinHD]

yea Scottish Lassie you are on another planet?
I don't see how it is considered theft?
the money was lost and found
that's it - that simple
I am saying I would not volunteer I found the money, or report to the police I found the money.
I would simply keep it, and I am 100% sure lady would not come looking for it.
apparently she hid the money from herself pretty well

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

You missed the whole point of my post. It went right over your head - all you can see in your fantasizing over finding the money yourself is the $$$$ instead of what's the right or wrong thing to do.

[Jaguar]

I found a woman's purse with over $50,000 in it a long, long time ago. Yeah she was carrying that amount and forgot her purse on the streetcar. I called her up cause her ID was in the purse. She came and picked it up and I never even got a thank you.

I saved the neighbors house from burning down. I was meditating and heard this alarm so I went investigating it. It turned out to be the smoke alarm in the apartment next to mine, so the fire dept was called and the fire was put out. The neighbors called the owners and they came over, but even though I was the one that alerted everyone, they thanked the neighbor that called them, not me.


I would do both situations all over again.

[mmhmm]

No, I wouldn't keep it.  I'd figure it had been left there by accident and return it to its owner.  I didn't purchase $98 on Craig's List.  I purchased a desk.

[busymom]

No, I wouldn't keep it.  I've met too many folks, especially older ones, who don't trust the banks, so they're hiding money in their home.  It wouldn't feel right to keep it, so I'd return it.  (Plus, what if it belongs so someone who is now suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia?)  In addition to a guilty conscience, I think karma would bite someone really hard for not doing the right thing.  I've seen karma bite people.  It's not pretty... 

[sesfw]

I could not live with the guilt of stealing from someone



The desk was the craigslist purchase, not the contents.  It takes an adult to return anything without a second thought.

[zibazinski]

Wouldn't bother me for a NYM. 

[Deleted]

I look at those types of situations as tests. If I fail the test, it's going to cost me a lot more than what I found. I've found a wallet in a store parking lot before, with money in it. The lady's ID was in the wallet but she wasn't listed in the phone book. Her paycheck was also in the wallet so I called her employer, told them I'd found her wallet and left my phone number. She called me and I met her at a gas station to return the wallet intact. She hadn't even missed her wallet until her job called her with my message. She was so happy I returned it, she was teary eyed. It was the Christmas season, she said she and her husband had just broke up, and she had little children. She asked if she could give me a hug. Seeing how much it meant to her that I returned her stuff gave me much more joy than spending her money would have.

I'm also honest when cashiers give me more change than I'm due. I've gotten to my car with purchases and realized something was accidently left in the cart and not paid for, then went back inside to pay for it. I figure I already have enough crazy/bad stuff happen to me, I don't want to fail those tests and bring more crazy stuff into my life. That may sound weird, but it's how I think.

[lexxy703]

Who stashes $98k in a desk & forgets they put it there?

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Old people.  My FIL is notorious for this.  MIL said she dreads him going first because he doesn't remember half of what he stashes around the house.   That house will have to be gone over with a fine tooth comb when they pass.

Nephew found a safe under the bathroom sink with raw diamonds in it that FIL didn't remember when we were moving things into storage in case of flood.

[swamp]

My secretary and her sisters found over $40,000 stashed in various places when they cleaned out her parents house.  And that's with 2 of the 3 kids visiting regularly and retrieving cash stuffed away. 

[swamp]

I'd probably keep $100 if I found it in the desk.  $98,000, no way.

[Jaguar]

The thing with me is that I cannot keep anything that isn't rightfully mine.

[EVT1]

You couldn't legally keep it anyway- but even if you could I wouldn't.  How could anyone spend someone else's money that they didn't earn (Wall Street criminals not withstanding)? 

I guess I am a Karma fan- but even when some clerk fails to ring up an item I point it out- I have no right to it.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I'm the same way. If I happened to stumble on $20 or $50 that was left in a piece of furniture I bought, I might not worry about it too much but...


If I found any amount larger - especially that large an amount of cash in in item I'd purchased, I'd assume the person had forgotten it was there - especially that it might be senior who'd not trusted banks and did all their business in cash - but due to a number of reasons (Alzheimer's, etc) didn't understand the money was there when the piece was sold.


If I kept it, I wouldn't feel good about the money - and would not be able to enjoy anything I might buy with it. The guilt would be too much to get any kind of pleasure from a purchase made with that money.

[whoisjohngalt]

I am usually fairly honest.  Like if I see a mis-marked item in a grocery store, I'll bringing to their attention, stuff like that.

But to be honest, the ONLY reason I would return the cash in this instance is bc I would be afraid of karma, not bc I thought "it was the right thing to do"

Bc IMHO, if you are selling something, it's YOUR responsibility to make sure you are not leaving anything in that item. 

[Artemis Windsong]

The moral to this story is when you sell something, thoroughly check to make sure there isn't valuables in there.

My late brother had a late GF who stashed thousands in cash in pockets.  To check his honesty, she sent one of the coats to the dry cleaners.  He checked the pockets and returned the cash.

Another time that comes up with mentally slipping folks or with the terminally ill.  They will give a valuable or cash to someone to give to a family member.  This can turn into a dispute of did that person give it as safe keeping or as a gift.  The person holding the item might not give it to the correct person.

I have a lot of distressing stories along this line.

Since we are on this subject.  If you have loved ones in the nursing home, you are paying the bills to the home and this person has real estate, watch out when that person dies.  I have heard of nursing homes swooping in and taking the property by honrswaggling another relative out of the required paperwork to pay for the nursing home which has already been paid for.

[ZaireinHD]

we don't know if the lady hid the money to give away for inheritance or if she received as an inheritance. either way the money was not needed. not missed, and lady is loaded, so loaded with disposable cash she forgot where she put it.
NOPE - I have no problem keeping it.
also it is a purchase made, that came with the purchase, it was not stolen!

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Bc IMHO, if you are selling something, it's YOUR responsibility to make sure you are not leaving anything in that item.

What if the person who sold the piece wasn't in the right mental state to remember the money had been placed there (as mentioned earlier - Alzheimer's, etc) - or special needs (mentally challenged)?. Many people (depending on those kind of circumstances) become 'forgetful (for lack of better words). If they don't have a relative who's helping with the control of their finances, they can be taken advantage of. And also as previously posted, many seniors don't trust banks - and only deal in cash.

Could you really live with keeping the money knowing that the person it rightfully belonged to might not have realized the money was left there if they sold the piece without their guardian or relative assisting?

We don't know the circumstances of the person who sold the item on Craig's List but I have to assume there was a slip-up somewhere down the line.

I certainly would not feel good about pocketing the money - it would not be right - and might cause that person a lot of hardship - especially if that was their life-savings.

How would you feel if it was YOUR mother or father or grandparent who lost that much money? You probably wouldn't be so flippant about keeping it.

[zibazinski]

I doubt I would ever know if my relative had any money to begin with. If I actually knew and was told that X amount of dollars were missing, I'd do a lot of digging to find it. I know we never found all my moms cash, although her former SS may have by now, and I know my great-grandmas house was probably sold with a lot of cash lurking about. I doubt seriously, if count, the owners are going to return it.

[zibazinski]

If found.

[ZaireinHD]

Scottish Lassie! I feel bad for you - the way your thought process turns things around?
let me point out the flaw in your thinking process
first it's could be a special needs case to admitting not knowing the persons situation to end with just couldn't keep the money, it's not yours.
ok
well how would you come up with thinking its a special needs person? this person opened a Craigs List account, posted an ad, pictures, came up with some price, made contacts, made arrangements, exchanged money, pick up schedule, collected money. when in this process comes up special needs?

so ok - go with oh I'm a goodie person so I'll contact the seller - excuse me but there was a little extra that came with the desk, can you tell me what that is? no you can't ok! Thanks!

but no not even that is good enough - you contact the seller, say I don't want your money and I'm giving it back! Special needs seller said oh thank you, I forgot I put that money there! Special needs seller gets the money back, hides it somewhere else, and what?
FORGETS AGAIN! fucking laughable!

oh but now you can feel better knowing the money still was used for nothing.

yea whatever - I understand your point of view - it's not your money and don't care if the seller decides to take the money and throw it in the air - it's the sellers money to do with they want!

well no! I don't see it that way. I made the purchase, it came with the purchase, I don't see grand theft, I don't see taking advantage of someone.
but that's just me

[sesfw]

NOPE - I have no problem keeping it.
also it is a purchase made, that came with the purchase, it was not stolen!

I do know if I ever meet you in person this will be in the back of my mind.  You are not a person I could trust or be friends with.

The desk was purchased, not the contents.