When I was young and a student, I had a cleaning job at the weekends to make ends meet. That weekend, as I walked down the street, with my younger sister, I noticed a wallet on the pavement. I picked it up and there was nearly £400 and a pensioner’s travel pass.  My sister started dancing....lol!  However,  I immediately took it to our local police station because I felt so bad that a pensioner had lost all that money. It was a lot of money in those days.  

My sister thought I’d lost my mind. The police officer was shocked and surprised but I really hoped the police would be able to reunite the wallet with its owner.  

I was told to come back in three months and if it wasn’t claimed, it was mine.

When I got home, my sister gladly told our parents what a fool I’d been. My mother went mad.  I thought she was going to kill me!  She kept telling me that God had given me a gift, I’d refused it and that I was just like my father.  Father was happy, but dared not challenge mother because she had gone all ghetto.....lol!

Three months later I went back to the police station. Yes, I’d survived my mother’s anger yet  I still  hoped the person had collected it. Unfortunately, the person hadn’t and the money was mine. This was the one time in my life I wanted to refuse money. I even told the police officer so.

That day I went home and shared the money with my siblings and parents. Mother was happy......lol!

In the UK, if you find lost money (or lost property) that is not yours, and you do not take steps to find the owner, it is called "theft by finding".

This means that you are actually committing theft if you keep lost property or lost money, unless it can be proven that the money or property was deliberately abandoned and the owner does not want it any more. (There is a difference between lost property and abandoned property).

Of course, when you find money in the street, it is very hard to determine who it belongs to. If you just wave it around and say "who dropped this money?" a crowd of eager people (all liars) will all probably say "I did! It's mine!"

A better way is to say "I have found some money on the ground. Has anybody lost any money?" and then, if somebody says "yes' then you ask them "how much money was it?" If they can't tell you how much it was, they are lying.

I did this when I found a bag on a bench with a GoPro camera in it. I wanted to keep the camera (I wish I had a GoPro!) but my conscience would not let me. I tried taking it to the police station, but they were closed for the weekend. So I left a note on the bench saying "I found a bag on this bench. If you are its owner, send me an e-mail to this address." A lady e-mailed me claiming it was her bag. I challenged her to describe the colour and brand of the bag, and describe its contents. She passed the test. It was her bag. So I gave it back to her. I still don't have a Go Pro, but I have a clear conscience. She sent me a nice thank you card. I was happy. She was happy. All was well.