Finding things People Lost?

[goeduck]

Have you ever been hesitant to turn something in to the management of the location it was found because you didn’t think it would ever get back to the proper owner?

“Yes. Cash. I will tell the management that I found a $20 bill (or whatever) and give them my phone number to call if someone reports it. I realized a long time ago that if I give it to the store they just keep it. After a period of time I give a corresponding amount to charity.

 

[goeduck]

Will do... can't emphasize enough how much help it is to have some way of identifying lost objects...Even something as simple as Gym membership locker key was enough for me to return keys...
.

It is not a good idea to have identification on your keys. It is a calling card for a crook that now knows who you are and can find out where you live and they then have keys to your house, car, etc. I would rather just have spare keys and consider them lost

 

[Redneck in training]

I had a teacher at college that never bought a car and walked or rode his bicycle everywhere. He had buckets of sockets and wrenches in his garage. People leave sockets and wrenches on the engine close the hood and go. If you ride a bike it is easy to see stuff and stop and pick things up.

My wife had vocal chords surgery done many years back. She had quite heavy gold necklace that she had to leave in the locker. She forgot it there because she was all groggy after they put her under. She went back next day but the nurse said they didn't find anything. I paid way over 1000 for it.

 

[ultrarunner]

It is not a good idea to have identification on your keys. It is a calling card for a crook that now knows who you are and can find out where you live and they then have keys to your house, car, etc. I would rather just have spare keys and consider them lost

It can cost over a thousand dollars to replace or add another key for some cars like BMW if the allocated slots have been used... making it more than just a key.

My old cars keys can be duplicated for $3... not so with many of the new ones.

Right now in the box I have late model Volvo, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche... you would think you would realize you lost your keys... typically they turn up around the hospital often in the waiting rooms... but no way to track down most unless someone asks...

Some organizations like US Track and Field have a key service... or gym bag service... you call a number on the tag, give the code and the organization will contact the registered owner.

 

[4570Man]

I found a set of keys once. I called the gym that was on the membership card. They said that person was no longer a member there. I kept the keys and in a couple days the lady must've figured it out and came back ( place of business ) and got them. I lost my phone once. A lady found it and called my mom and gave it back.

 

[aczlan]

It is not a good idea to have identification on your keys. It is a calling card for a crook that now knows who you are and can find out where you live and they then have keys to your house, car, etc. I would rather just have spare keys and consider them lost

I will leave a phone number and my first name on my keys, it won't get anyone who finds it closer than the next town over unless they call me.

Aaron Z

 

[goeduck]

I will leave a phone number and my first name on my keys, it won't get anyone who finds it closer than the next town over unless they call me.

Aaron Z

That would certainly be better than a full name but you would be surprised at how much can be found out with a reverse lookup and various other ways to find out who you are. There is so much data out there on each of us these days.

 

[dmccarty]

Years ago I found a wallet in a parking lot. I don't remember there being anything of real value in the wallet, seems like it was full of business cards and not credit cards but there was some form of ID so I was able to call the owner and arrange a time to give him the wallet back. He was most thankful.

A few years ago I was walking around work and someone had dropped an expensive smart phone. Base on where I found the phone, I think the owner was leaving the building. The phone was locked and no way to find the owner so I put up a bunch of signs and the owner called after a few hours. Loosing your phone these days is as bad, if not worse than loosing a wallet....

Later,
Dan

 

[sandman2234]

Remember when smart phones were new? I found one in a rest area, had to dodge it when I parked. I tried to unlock it, (after calling my youngest for instructions). I "swiped it" and it rang, scared the tar out of me. Then some guy started hollaring at me in spanish. He hung up and it made a noise again (sure wasn't a "ring" in any book I had read) so i tried that swipe thing again, and the person I was talking to was speaking broken English. I told them I found it, and if they wanted to stop at a particular exit (one I knew) that I would give it back. When I got there, I held out my old flip phone, and he looked puzzled(as we closed the distance to each other). I kept saying "phone" and he nodded his head yes, so I figured I had the right guy. He was happy!!
I followed one of our other trucks into a side road going to a fuel stop we frequent, and saw a wallet laying in the road. I parked and walked back to get it. Turned out to be a student in the truck ahead of me. I told the instructor to check everyone's drivers license, medical cards and permits again. You should have seen the look on the students face when he realized his wallet was missing. He had jumped out of the truck at the corner because he had to "go" and couldn't wait till they parked. Dropped it in the road at that point.
David from jax

 

[aczlan]

That would certainly be better than a full name but you would be surprised at how much can be found out with a reverse lookup and various other ways to find out who you are. There is so much data out there on each of us these days.

Its a google voice number, the other number that might be used is a cell number. Reverse lookup on that would get the area, but not a whole lot more unless you can look up the owner info in the MNVO's database.

Aaron Z

 

[4get gto]

After reading all these posts it gets you thinking. Isn't it a shame that you gotta think twice if you want to be nice?

 

[ovrszd]

After reading all these posts it gets you thinking. Isn't it a shame that you gotta think twice if you want to be nice?

Sadly......

 

[4570Man]

Sadly......

A lady I know got yelled at and cussed for returning a phone she found.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Duplicate

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I have found a few things over the years but the most memorable was almost 40 years ago, I found a trifold nylon wallet washed up on the beach in the middle of nowhere with almost 2000$ in it. It hadn't been floating around too long and I could make out the drivers license, that was just getting waterlogged. I was on a couple week crabbin trip so it was a while before I got back to town and tracked down the owner, who had given it up for lost. The cheap bum didn't give me a reward but I did get a beer and a 30 year friendship

 

[ultrarunner]

One of my friends got a Stihl 036??? Chainsaw... he found it in his driveway when he come home from work... the handle was damaged... maybe fell off a truck?

Posted a sign on the telephone poll and never got a response... so he fixed it and still has...

His 5 year old Daughter was there when he found and said... "Daddy you said you needed a saw and Santa heard you"

 

[OldMasterTech]

I found a small ziplock bag with cash at a state fair. As I picked it up I felt something solid inside, was the owner's CDL license with $360 wrapped around it. I was able to locate him and a couple weeks later got a gift certificate to a pricey restaurant in the mail!

 

[dougtrr2]

We were on the receiving end of a Good Samaritan. It was a Saturday morning. I stopped at our house between two soccer games I was refereeing. There were two messages on the answering machine. The first was from my wife saying she had not one, but TWO flat tires. The second was from the finder of her billfold that she had put on top of the car while she changed the first tire. We picked up the billfold later that day and reward was refused. The tire store was also very helpful. They were able to look in their computer and see that we were regular customers (five cars, three teenage drivers) and "sold" her new tires without any ID, credit card, or check. Just our word that she would be back. There are still good people in this world.

Doug in SW IA

 

[fidowanttobe]

Why do people find keys and other stuff in parking lots, take it home and then post on Facebook or craigslist that they are looking for the owners?? Personally, I take it inside the nearest or most obvious store and give it to the manager. I'm thinking the loser has a better chance if they have a clue of where they lost them if I can't find the owners myself.

 

[mjarrels]

My son went to a battle of the bands concert outside Washington DC about 15 years ago and lost his wallet with learners permit, Navy dependent ID card and a few dollars. About a week later it showed up in our mailbox with all contents intact. Yes, still good people even in DC.

mark