Austrian bus driver finds $500,000...and turns it in?

Originally posted by jude11

Originally posted by MESSAGEFROMTHESTARS
reply to post by jude11

 

And that's what he gets for his honesty? Nothing. I'll bet he wishes that maybe he should have kept it, found the owner and if they really needed it back, held a little back as a self proclaimed reward.

Without him, what would she have? Nada, zip, zilch, nothing.

and to all the other comments thus far...

Am I seriously the only person that sees nothing wrong with this?

You know what you gain from being honest? Merit... and his actions are praise worthy.

"self proclaimed reward"? wt... seriously? Is this actually what your approach would have been if you knew in advance that you would receive no award for turning in the money?

Is that not theft...

It was NOT HIS MONEY... case CLOSED!

So what does he have any claim to? Nada, zip, zilch, nothing.

He found the money. It was in his possession, no one was there to claim it...I believe that qualifies as "MINE!"

He has claim to everything.

Possession being the 9/10ths of the law and all. Even if this couldn't stand up in court why no reward? That's the real issue here.

Peace

Exactly.....if I had $500k to potentially lose and did lose, then someone turned it in, I would give them a hefty reward....that is unless I were a drug runner and the money was not mine and I would be maimed if I did not have it all....in that case I would not give a reward.....

good to see people still doing 'the right thing' these days ... it lessens my worry that all hope is lost for the human race.

The question still remains. What type of person carries that amount around and has to use a bus for transport?? Strange. I suppose he probably did the right thing with cameras and stuff....

Like the fact it could have been criminal money & the owner would hunt him down. Maybe she was just a crazy old women that liked to keep her life savings with her. In that case good on him, a few dollers slipped he's way would have been a nice ending.

Originally posted by Vasa Croe
Totally agree....that amount of cash was most likely being used for something underhanded.

Either way...bus driver should have kept it....

So let me get this straight.

You and a few others acknowledge the possibility that this could be "blood/drug money" made through illicit activities and probably belonged to a criminal(s)...and so the bus driver should keep it?

How is he any different then?

Stealing and spending money stolen from criminals means...you guessed it...you just benefited from the crimes that made the money!

This reminds me of the former police officer from Florida on death-row for robbing and murdering drug dealers. His defense was that they were scum and didn't deserve to live.

Meanwhile his lifestyle was bankrolled off of the crimes of that same scum.

Very weak justification in my opinion.

- Lee

reply to post by jude11


Harsh.

I'd at least give the guy a couple hundred bucks, but probably a bit more than that as a thanks.

reply to post by Vasa Croe

Try explaining your argument to any country that has ever been conquered....you can start with the native americans and tell the anglo saxons to leave the US.....

It all depends on the laws in that state and what the person who found it actually believes, as in if it was stolen money or used in a crime, etc....if he was smart he would have turned in $10k and seen who came in to check for the money then had the cops look into it for a reward if the person was indeed a criminal.

As if I care about referencing this event towards historical context... apples and oranges. How did the conversation even get to this point? moving on...

Correct... dependent on state law. Although the whole notion of the legality of the issue shouldn't necessarily dictate what you do. I can find some fun loop holes, I could even partake in 'bankruptcy for profit" and legally pay my self large amounts, at the same time knowing that I screwed the majority of investors, 5000 people lost their jobs... but hey, it was legal and now I have $50,000,000 legally.

Get it?

Did you just say

what the person who found it actually believes, as in if it was stolen money or used in a crime, etc...

How in the world is it defensible to suggest that a "belief" based on no information or evidence some how justifies taking someones money? What if you're wrong?

"Or was used in a crime"

Maybe you should just hand over your wallet to me right now, because odds are... at some point in time that note was used in an illegal transaction.

Please?

When I find something, I keep it. That's the world telling me I deserved to have it. If someone lost something, I believe they weren't meant to have it in the first place.

If you feel as though you have a moral obligation to return something you found then fulfill that moral code of yours. That's not my way.

Lucky guy gave away the luck he may never have again.

Could it be a publicity stunt?

reply to post by chagahunter


When was the last time you've ever seen a bus pulled over by the cops?

If you are going to be doing some shady business and don't want to risk driving, you take a taxi or the bus. The bus also has cameras inside.

If you are worried about being killed in transit, using public transportation is a smart move. It's much harder to get away with killing someone in public on a bus.

If one was to drive themselves, they might have a very unfortunate "car accident".

ETA: He might have "ditched" the money because he got spooked. I'm actually really not surprised by this article at all. There are a lot of people doing illegal things and utilizing public transportation to make it happen. You certainly don't have to worry about your car blowing up if you're riding the bus...

reply to post by MystikMushroom



Exactly. I agree with you. Certain types do know all this If illegal he probably won t get a reward, but would be
nice if his company did something for him....positive reenforcement

If legit money, a reward would be the appreciative thing to do. Some people do believe it is the morally right thing
to do , by giving it back and not expecting a reward. A lot of horrific things have happened in the world because it
was the "morally "right thing to do.

The Feds set up money stings sometimes, leaving purses out in the open and waiting for people to take it or the money inside then arrest them. I read about that in NYC a few weeks ago.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
$500,000 on a bus?? I think the only thought that would rest on my mind....like a 10 ton boulder...was a movie I watched with a similar little quinky dink type thing happening to a guy. You all might have heard of it...No Country for Old Men.

Something about being popped with a pneumatic cow popper just doesn't do it for me. Not one bit.... I might be tempted to keep $5,000.....maybe...but $500,000? One doesn't simply 'lose' a half a million is what I'd figure. One GETS BACK their half million.

Come get it!! By now I already am armed to the teeth and awaiting the fight.......With $490,000 left over......

Wrabbit has it right. Its unlikely that any normal person 'loses' 500,000 on a bus. The kind of person who would you probably don't want chasing you. Or offering to cut limbs from people you care about.

Its enough money to invite trouble but not enough to buy 24 hour protection for those you care about.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
$500,000 on a bus?? I think the only thought that would rest on my mind....like a 10 ton boulder...was a movie I watched with a similar little quinky dink type thing happening to a guy. You all might have heard of it...No Country for Old Men.

Something about being popped with a pneumatic cow popper just doesn't do it for me. Not one bit.... I might be tempted to keep $5,000.....maybe...but $500,000? One doesn't simply 'lose' a half a million is what I'd figure. One GETS BACK their half million.

Well I was thinking about keeping until you had to mention that damn movie. Very very good movie and I don't want a guy like that tracking me down.

We also forget...maybe there was a total of $1,000,000 but he just kept $500,000 of it

reply to post by MESSAGEFROMTHESTARS


I would have returned it without hesitation. Last month there was 300$ hanging out of the ATM when I pulled up. I promptly took it into the bank and said whoever was before me at the ATM left this. The banker kid looked at me like I had 3 heads.

I have returned several wallets to people too. I seem to get in these situations constantly. I like to think it is the Universe testing me lol.

Honestly is the best policy. The world could use a hell of a lot more of it lately.

Well, I never thought we'd be talking about my people but here we go

Seems there are some good people left her, never thought of that. But the odd thing is, it's not the first time you hear such a story and just end up in scratching your head.

This garbage man (if someone could translate this with google, I am to stupid for this) found nearly $50.000 in the freaking trash!! and he gave it back. How did it end up in the trash? And old lady through it unintentionally away while cleaing up her place.

And also I don't think this person was involved with anything criminal. Again it was an old lady which forgot it in the bus. I think that's all to this story, went to the bank, picked up her life savings and forgot it in the freaking bus and it really fits with our old people.

That lady can be really happy I wasn't it in that bus, otherwise she wouldn't have seen that money again - just to clarify that


Edit: Also, it is not unclear why the lady was carrying so much money, it was ineed her live savings. Plus, this didn't happen "weeks ago", it happened on the 25th of November, on a Sunday. I don't think the lady got her money the next day, it surely took some days.

reply to post by jude11


This actually happened to someone I know...not quite as much money, but close enough...they found it in a sanitary bin in a public toilet at King's Cross station (I never quite got to the bottom of why she was rooting around in a sanitary bin...but there you go)...anyway, she handed it in too.

Turned out they were all forged notes, so lucky for her that she did, otherwise...

If I found that kind of money, I might at a stretch give it to charity rather than hand it in to Police, but I would never dream of keeping it...'cos one way or another it just has to be dirty and I don't want to spend anyone's ill gotten gains...someone may have died because of that money, nothing good can ever come of possessing something when you don't know where it's been, or what's been done to get it. If that makes any sense. One way another, believe in it or not, there is a kind of karma attached to such things...

Besides, I'm too suspicious/paranoid, I'd think it was a set up.

I'd turn it in. I've found cash in wallets, seen people forget change at self checkout etc. if its not yours you shouldn't keep it and just assuming someone is up to no good is a weak excuse. As others have said perhaps it was an old lady fed up with her bank. I also am surprised everyone thinks you're entitled to a reward for doing the right thing.