How To Handle A Lost Wallet: A Guide To Doing The Right Thing

You're walking down the street when suddenly something catches your eye. You look down and realize someone dropped their wallet. What do you do? Do you poke around and pocket some crisp $20 bills? Do you leave it and let someone else deal with it? Or do you do the right thing and try to return it to its rightful owner?

In this article we will look at different options on how to handle a found wallet, what to do if your wallet goes missing, and some helpful tips on how to prevent it from going missing in the first place.

We want to point out that this article is just for wallets. These rules do not apply to purses. If you find a purse, do NOT open it. Take it to a police station right away. No excuses. There's an unwritten rule that a woman's purse is 100% off limits to everyone except the owner. With that out of the way, let's look at how you should handle a found wallet:

If You See Who Dropped It, Return It To Them Immediately  

Sometimes people are in a hurry and forget their wallet on a counter, table, chair, or it slips out of their pocket while they're walking. If you witness someone forget their wallet, do the right thing and return it. Try to get their attention by calling out to them and informing them they dropped their wallet.

Pick it up and hand it to them. If that doesn't work, run it over to them. If it is unsafe to do so, like at a traffic crossing, wait until it is safe to do so.

This same rule applies to any belongings including hats, sunglasses, and keys. Sooner or later that person will be panicking wondering what happened to them and where they left it.

If You Find A Wallet, You Can Look Inside For Contact Information

Any piece of government issued ID, like a driver's license, will have the persons contact information including a name and address. Other pieces of contact information, like a phone number or email address, could be found on business cards, loyalty cards, membership cards, and/or rewards cards.

If You Find ID, You Can Search For The Rightful Owner Online 

Using a search engine, like Google, or a social media platform, like LinkedIn or Facebook, you can try searching for the owner. If you find a match with the same name, compare the picture on their ID to the pictures on their profile. If it's a match, send them a message informing them you have their wallet.

Refrain from sharing any pictures or personal information from the wallet until they confirm they are the rightful owner. You can ask them questions like "what colour is the wallet?" or "can you confirm one of the membership/rewards cards?" This eliminates the chances of someone with the same name pretending to be the owner and stealing it.

Do not post pictures of the wallet or any of its contents online. Especially if it has any sensitive information like addresses, credit/debit card numbers, pictures of family members, and so on. People may try to steal their identity and/or use their bank cards. We strongly suggest never flaunting wealth online, whether its your own, or in this case; someone else's. You never know what lengths people will go through for a few dollars.

You Can Return The Wallet To A Bank

If you find a debit or credit card in their wallet, contact the bank or credit card company directly and let them know you found the wallet. They can contact the owner directly and inform them. They may also freeze the bank cards and accounts, preventing any further use until they are returned to the owner. They may instruct you to return the wallet to a local branch so the owner can come pick it up.

Take The Wallet To A Police Station

If you do not feel comfortable opening the wallet and searching for the owner yourself, simply take it to a local police station. There, officers can search for the owner via records or use social media. They may even try delivering it to the person themselves. They wallet will remain in a safe and secure location until it can be returned to the rightful owner.

DO NOT Place A Found Wallet In A Mail Box 

Many postal services discourage placing a lost wallet in a mailbox as they will not be held liable should it get lost or arrive with missing items (like money or gift cards that were there before). Since there's no way to prove what was in the wallet before the postal service collected it, there's no way to prove anything went missing after it was in their possession.

While the postal service may try to deliver the wallet back to the owner, we highly suggest using other methods mentioned in this article as by the time the wallet is returned via post, the owner may have already cancelled all their cards. There is also the risk of the wallet ending up at a wrong address if the owner recently moved and hasn't updated their cards.

DO NOT Bring A Found Wallet Into A Local Business Or Shop 

If you find a wallet on the sidewalk or inside a mall, do not return it to a nearby business. While your intentions may be good, the person you hand it to may not be the same. However, you can inform them that you found a wallet and you will be taking it to the closest police station.

You can leave your name and number should the owner come into the business and inquire about their missing wallet. They can give them your number and they can contact you directly.

DO Give A Lost Wallet To An Employee IF The Wallet Was Found Inside The Establishment 

If you find a wallet inside an establishment, like in a change room of a clothing store or on a seat at a restaurant, inform an associate immediately. Hand it over and let them know exactly where and when you found it. If the person is still in the building, they may be able to return it to them before they leave.

Even though this seems somewhat counterintuitive to the previous point, the companies' reputation is on the line. Chances are, the person who lost their wallet will re-trace their steps and return to the business. Many businesses have security cameras and can check the footage within minutes. This means they can likely identify if someone took the wallet or took anything out of the wallet, which leads us to a very important point:

NEVER Take Anything Out Of Someone Else's Wallet

While it may be tempting to rummage through a wallet, looking for goodies like cash or gift cards, don't! Honesty is the best policy. You never know if you're on camera or who is watching. Even if you think the coast is clear. Be a proper gentleman and do the right thing.

If you are caught on camera, you may be charged with theft and/or larceny. Depending on the jurisdiction, you could be faced with a fine much larger than the few dollars you found. This will also go on record, which could result in you losing your job or prevent you from getting a new one.

However, if you return a wallet and the owner offers you a reward, you can take it or politely decline. Do not demand a reward or hold the wallet for ransom hoping to get something.

What Should You Do If Your Wallet Goes Missing?

The first thing you should do when you realize your wallet is missing is to take a deep breath and collect yourself. It can be very easy to let stress and fear overrun your thoughts. We have a guide on how to find a missing wallet titled Never Lose Your Wallet Again: Tips And Tricks For Quick Recovery that covers many scenarios and the correct courses of action.

There are also helpful tips on how to prevent your wallet from becoming lost in the first place. Be sure to read the entire article to find that quick guide at the bottom!

Summary

While it isn't every day you will come across someone's wallet, it is still valuable knowledge to know what to do if and when it does happen. Finding someone's wallet and successfully returning it to them could very well make their day and relieve a lot of stress. After all, wouldn't you feel relieved knowing yours was in good hands if it went missing?

Did you enjoy this article? Learn something new? Share it with a friend and follow Esteemed Gentleman on social media to stay up to date with new articles and posts!

Links:

Facebook

Instagram

Don't forget to sign up below to stay up to date on new articles and reviews we publish!