What is your stance on 'stealing' or taking lost items? - General

I just found some beats by Dre earphones on the ground at my park. I waited a bit to see if anyone was around to see if it was anybody's. Nobody showed up so I decided to take them. What is your stance on taking stuff such as this? [editline]23rd July 2014[/editline] I'm putting them back where I found them. Good karma I say. Anyway, I'd still like your opinions.

Depends what it is, but the chances are if I don't take it someone else will. Whether I take it or not the chances of it finding its original owner are very slim.

If there is any humanly possible way I could find the owner (a name, address, or phone number written on the side) and return it to him or her, then I would. If there's nothing I can do about it, I'd put it back or take it depending on whether it's something I absolutely need in my life or not.

[QUOTE=Lordgeorge16;45479597]If there is any humanly possible way I could find the owner (a name, address, or phone number written on the side) and return it to him or her, then I would. If there's nothing I can do about it, I'd put it back or take it depending on whether it's something I absolutely need in my life or not.[/QUOTE] I decided to go back as you can see on the edited OP. I looked around and there was still no one there.

I follow a principle of returning lost things when I see somebody lose them, and keeping them if I don't see who dropped said stuff. But I don't always follow the latter part in cases like returning lost cell phones or wallets. [B]EDIT:[/B] Or like what Lordgeorge just said by returning things with information on it.

If I found something really valueable like an iPhone or whatever, I'd try and search for the owner for a while. If I couldn't, I'd probably just get it factory reset and use it because hey iphone. I guess it depends on the item in question. Seeing $20 fall out of a dude's pocket and keeping it is a dickmove. Finding $20 on a crack in the pavement is good luck.

i have like 5 TI80's because people keep leaving them in classrooms at college, now i leave them there for like a week or so, but really when i've lost my calculator i really do go looking for it because these things are still expensive

Barring things like, say, a keyring, someone's credit cards/license/identity, weapons, cell phones, finders keepers.

Bring them to the nearest police department or city hall or something. There's usually a lost and found there.

If there is a way to return the item to the owner, I will, but if its impossible, I will keep it. Like with phones, I will call people on the contact list that seem would be able to give it to them, or with a wallet, find an ID with an address. If its something that is expensive and there isn't even a way to find out whose it is, I will try to find out if anyone in the area lost that thing, but not going right out and saying I have it. Don't need 50 million people going THIS IS MY THING.

[QUOTE=OtherDalfite;45479714]If I found something really valueable like an iPhone or whatever, I'd try and search for the owner for a while. If I couldn't, I'd probably just get it factory reset and use it because hey iphone. I guess it depends on the item in question. Seeing $20 fall out of a dude's pocket and keeping it is a dickmove. Finding $20 on a crack in the pavement is good luck.[/QUOTE] But for Iphones you can find the owner by turning it into the phone company that services it and have the phone company return it to them.

Finders keepers, losers weepers

Depends on where it came from and what it is. If there's a reasonable place to return an item where the owner might find it, I'll try to return it. If not, I might take it, but since I've never found anything worth taking that was lost, I can't honestly say. The worst I've done was take some money I've found on the ground, and even so, it's never been anything substantial. Just $5s and $1s.

It's not okay no matter the circumstance. There was this one prank video that showed people wrongfully trying to claim a lost 1000 dollars, and then when it's revealed that it was "stolen" they immediately try to backpedal. It was funny, sure, but it makes you think.

If it's an unlocked iPhone, there's a pretty high chance I can find out whose it is and possibly return it. If it's $20 cash sitting on a bench, it's fucking mine. It depends entirely if I can find the owner and/or if I actually see someone drop it.

If it's something traceable like a phone then I won't take it, if it's cash I'll wait a bit (both to see if anyone comes to take it, and to make sure nobody is looking :v:) before I take it If I found $1000 cash I'd rather take it for myself than risk letting someone take it to the police station and end up never seeing the original owner anyway I generally follow the "Finders keepers, losers weepers" sort of idea.

Something identifiable to the owner I'd try to return. If it was found in a place where there is easily accessible lost/found (University/shop etc) I'd return the item regardless what it is. When I was younger (maybe 12 or so) I found roughly £400 in a Sainsburys bin, we literately pulled it out in single £20/£10 notes. We had to hand it in to lost property (was with my mum) and later got a call from an elderly woman thanking us - who claimed she thought she was throwing out receipts. When I was 15/16 I found a €200/500 (I don't remember which note it was but it was one of those) around a pool area - kept it because realistically there was no way I'd get back to the owner. It does annoy me a lot though when I need to use lost property (such as loosing beats earphones, I know exactly where they were lost and they could of easily been handed in meters away) and them not being handed in.

Money means "finders keepers" to me, but if it's an actual thing (mostly a telephone or otherwise) I wouldn't really take it...though, I've picked up lighters when I walked in areas, like around the clinic near my last school in Kirseberg.

Small, inexpensive items I will keep for myself. The larger things I would be more cautious about taking. If it is something like a phone or another electronic device similar to that, I won't touch them, too risky to fence.

Stealing necessities is perfectly okay, the world is a screwed up place in my eyes. Stealing something, anything out of the realms of survival is unacceptable. Finding lost property is a personal call, especially if the contact info of the person missing their item is directly on the item. Personally, i would have taken those beats by dre, my outlook is the same as a few other posts, someone will find it and someone will keep it regardless of your good intentions, you may as well just keep what you found and be greatful i guess. There was this time i was walking down my street and this girl was about 15 feet in front of me, and she pulled out an ipod or phone from her pocket and she dropped money and didnt notice, had she turned around or maybe realized it was missing i would have reconsidered my decision but she didnt know the wiser so i kept the money it was only 8 dollars but we are talking principles right? Not value. [editline]5th August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Jonzky;45522512]Something identifiable to the owner I'd try to return. If it was found in a place where there is easily accessible lost/found (University/shop etc) I'd return the item regardless what it is. When I was younger (maybe 12 or so) I found roughly £400 in a Sainsburys bin, we literately pulled it out in single £20/£10 notes. We had to hand it in to lost property (was with my mum) and later got a call from an elderly woman thanking us - who claimed she thought she was throwing out receipts. When I was 15/16 I found a €200/500 (I don't remember which note it was but it was one of those) around a pool area - kept it because realistically there was no way I'd get back to the owner. It does annoy me a lot though when I need to use lost property (such as loosing beats earphones, I know exactly where they were lost and they could of easily been handed in meters away) and them not being handed in.[/QUOTE] Ive forgotten my wallet at the corner store only once in my life. My heart sunk when i realized where i had left it. I wasnt expecting to find it at all, thats life. i live by the finders keepers, ill have to die by it too. But luckily my wallet was right on the counter, the clerk didnt notice and apparently neither did anyone else, money and cards all present so i was pretty stoked about that

[QUOTE=Itolkweed;45598396]Stealing necessities is perfectly okay, the world is a screwed up place in my eyes. Stealing something, anything out of the realms of survival is unacceptable. Finding lost property is a personal call, especially if the contact info of the person missing their item is directly on the item. Personally, i would have taken those beats by dre, my outlook is the same as a few other posts, someone will find it and someone will keep it regardless of your good intentions, you may as well just keep what you found and be greatful i guess. There was this time i was walking down my street and this girl was about 15 feet in front of me, and she pulled out an ipod or phone from her pocket and she dropped money and didnt notice, [b]had she turned around or maybe realized it was missing i would have reconsidered my decision but she didnt know the wiser so i kept the money it was only 8 dollars but we are talking principles right?[/b] Not value. [editline]5th August 2014[/editline] Ive forgotten my wallet at the corner store only once in my life. My heart sunk when i realized where i had left it. I wasnt expecting to find it at all, thats life. i live by the finders keepers, ill have to die by it too. But luckily my wallet was right on the counter, the clerk didnt notice and apparently neither did anyone else, money and cards all present so i was pretty stoked about that[/QUOTE] I agree'd with you up until that, I would [i]never[/i] keep something if I witnessed someone loosing it right in front of me, that's just a dick move plain and simple. There's no justifying that. You don't [i]need[/i] to do that unless you're homeless or seriously struggling to provide for a family, etc. You did it because you wanted it and it was easy to take, which is a contradiction you've made in your very own post by the way because that's unnecessary theft. I believe in finders keepers, only if the original owner cannot be immediately identified, or if it seems very important and has personal information in which to contact the owners with. There's only so much you can do but you can at least try a little bit to do the right thing.

If I can find the owner (eg seeing them drop the money like above) or if there is a lost and found nearby I'll return it, otherwise I'd probably keep it.

[QUOTE=LSK;45598631]I agree'd with you up until that, I would [i]never[/i] keep something if I witnessed someone loosing it right in front of me, that's just a dick move plain and simple. There's no justifying that. You don't [i]need[/i] to do that unless you're homeless or seriously struggling to provide for a family, etc. You did it because you wanted it and it was easy to take, which is a contradiction you've made in your very own post by the way because that's unnecessary theft. I believe in finders keepers, only if the original owner cannot be immediately identified, or if it seems very important and has personal information in which to contact the owners with. There's only so much you can do but you can at least try a little bit to do the right thing.[/QUOTE] Youre absolutely right, but like i said, I live by finders keepers so i kind of have to take the good with the bad. Technically i did not steal that girls money, even though i knew exactly where it came from, she had not realized it to be missing. I will admit it is a dick move but as for the actual definition of "theft", Ive made no contradiction.

wtf those are mine you dickhead give them back

i always think about how i'd feel if i lost something i value, like a phone or wallet (which i have, both are extremely nerve-wracking experiences) and i'd try hard to return them or at least report them to police, i don;t think i could be able to actually keep them money, however, is fair game to me if nobody has already claimed it (~$20 or less; substantial amounts of money, and i'd report it) on smaller objects, my policy is: if i can buy it at a gas station, i'll take it. meaning, if i see a pen lying around and it's an average pen, i'll take it if i need it. but if it's a gold-plated fountain pen with an engraved name, i'm going to return it.

depends what it is and whether i think the owner is able to recover it

On the stealing part; the way I see it, you should be held accounted for anything stolen. Be it a necessity or not it's inexcusable.

[QUOTE=RustledJimmys;45657540]On the stealing part; the way I see it, you should be held accounted for anything stolen. Be it a necessity or not it's inexcusable.[/QUOTE] You know what, youre right. I had a point about being starving and stealing food, but i would be highly upset if i came home and all my food was just gone. But on that same note, if i was starving i would certainly steal food from somewhere (probably grocery store it would be extremely ignorant to ransack a house for some bread) and wouldnt think twice about it. Hurricane Katrina, should everyone who looted food be held responsible for their actions? Id say nay

If there is any way to return it I'll chase it up but otherwise I guess I'd just keep it. Still I've only ever found money lying around and that was when i was like 13 so it's pretty easy to return it then.

to quote the american classic "little rascals": "finders keepers losers suck"