Found a wallet but only will return it if I get a reward. How can I guarantee a reward?

Question

I recently found a wallet with several cards, photos and over $500 cash. I would like to return it but want to be guaranteed a reward of 20% or better. I will not be pleased with a simple "thank you" from the owner if I return it.

I was thinking of calling the owner (I has his name & number now) and telling him I have the wallet and insist on the minimum 20% reward. If he does not agree I will simply tell him he won't ever see it again.

The owner should realize how lucky he is a nice guy like me even found this to begin with and is only asking for 20%. If he is a genuine, decent person he should offer me 50%.

I'm just not sure I can trust the owners word if he agrees to the 20%.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I suggest that you stop being a terrible Samaritan and do a good deed and give this poor stressed out man his wallet back!

What has the world come to when people only think about themselves and what they can gain from a situation?

If someone found your wallet with your rent money in it, how would you feel if the person who found it demanded a reward or else they wouldn't give it back?

I have absolutely NO respect for greedy selfish people such as you. Its people like you that make people afraid to lose their belongings.

Answer 2

Well, it ain't right. You just give it back. If you get a reward, great. If not, no problem. Asking or wanting or demanding for a reward is just plainly wrong. Verging on extortion already. It is universally accepted that returning someones lost articles without question, without the need for compensation is only proper. His gratitude would be enough. Think of it, if it were the other way around and you lost something and the other guy was demanding something! But I'll give it to you for wanting to return it in the first place. Others would just keep it. And that would be worse. Way worse.
I guess doing good is simply what it is, doing good. Don't need to be paid to do good. It should come naturally. If it doesn't, then there must be something wrong...

Answer 3

A real man would be in touch with the owner of the wallet & make plans to return it to it's rightful owner. You talk about not trusting the owner to give you a reward, but you talk about people trusting people to do the right thing by you, but you really don't have any room to talk about others. If you get a reward, okay, & if not, so be it. I couldn't live with my conscience if I found a wallet & kept it, knowing who the owner was. I'd return it & would feel good about doing so. I'd want someone to do the same for me someday. I've read about many good samaritans who have returned wallets, & you are definitely not one of them. The world doesn't owe you a living.

Answer 4

I do not think you are being a nice guy, you are demanding a 20% cut! You are holding that wallet hostage. I think you are fooling yourself if you REALLY think you are a nice guy, I think you are a thief!!! I am sure that as soon as the person lost his wallet he canceled all of his credit cards! Why don't you call him and demand a 20% reward, see what happens, because if I were that person, I would have the cops come with me and arrest you, you fool!!!
You are not a nice person at all. This is what the world has become, people do not think that stealing, killing or hurting another human being is wrong!

Answer 5

Give the poor man his wallet back! I do good deeds for people all the time and I don't ask for anything in return. So if you were to lose your wallet, am I to expect a 20% reward?

Answer 6

What a nice guy you are to consider giving back what rightly belongs to that man anyway? You talk about genuine decent people giving rewards as though they are mandatory, when you're basically holding the guy's property ransome. You should just call the guy, arrange to meet him and return the wallet, satisfied in the notion that you did a decent thing as a human being for someone else.

Answer 7

Geez why don't you just take 20% of the cash out and return it. The guy should just be thankful he's getting anything back from you (why not run up some charges on his credit cards while your at it?)
And you are NOT a nice,decent guy. A nice decent guy would return the wallet without expecting anything back - some even *gasp* refuse to take a reward because returning missing property without stealing anything is the right thing to do. A nice decent guy would not thing of holding someone's life hostage (do you have any idea how much hassle it is to cancel/renew everything in your wallet?) for a hundred bucks.

You are in fact an inconsiderate and unforgivably rude individual.

Answer 8

That's just wrong of you to insist on a cut. A "nice guy" would arrange a meeting with the person to give the wallet back, and not expect a reward. In most cases the person would want to give you something for your generosity.

Answer 9

I had lost my wallet on Saturday recently at walmart, i stupidly left my entire purse in the cart outside and did not realize it until 2 hours later because my gas light came on in my car while driving i had not a dime on me i actually had to ask for 4 dollars from this guy at the gas station just to go back to walmart & hope that my purse was still there, i had $300 cash from my roomate for rent and i had a credit card debit card license. military id and social security card...of course i wanted the cash but i more prayed at least that if they took the cash they would at least give my purse back with all my identification. evidently i got everything back which was great i wanted to reward them with $40 bucks but there was no person to reward...my point is you can do it the nice way & call up guy & he might be grateful & give you an award but your so greedy for the money then you might as well do the nice thing & send his wallet with all his ID's & keep the money...if you call him & threaten him about an award you never know what he does or who he is but you can possibly get caught & have unwanted attention you dont want...so vice versa works & you can both parties can be somewhat happy, i would just send it, you never know he can be just as broke & that was just his rent money

Answer 10

I think your a jerk. I hope if you lose something of value, someone tries to take it from you. You are not a real "nice guy" if you insist on a reward. I am sure most would give a reward if they had the money, but why cant people just be happy with the satisfaction of knowing you have done something good for someone else?