# No reward for found cell phone: would you be put off? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822 "2010-07-24T09:03:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/101 "2016-02-02T17:14:02Z")
> [@Mithrander](#): > > What really gets to me on this subject is the fucking entitlement in this thread. You all seem to think you have no responsibility to take care of your own property, and you all also seem to expect that the world will return it to you for nothing. If someone dares to suggest that their time in returning your lost shit is worth money, they are called names. This actually boggles my mind. Jesus Christ. You’re the only one showing any entitlement. Entitled to some sort of what you think is a reward, but is actually extortion. What a shitty attitude you have. Sure am glad most people aren’t like you. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/102 "2016-02-02T17:25:02Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > You sure about that last sentence? If you find an item and then hide it, refusing to reveal its whereabouts to the rightful owner - even if you’ve hidden it back in the same spot where you found it - are you sure you’re in the clear? I would think [obstruction of justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstruction_of_justice) (for concealing physical evidence) might apply; I’d be curious to hear from a cop on this one. I’m Canadian, so it would be [obstructing justice.](http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-c-46/latest/rsc-1985-c-c-46.html#sec139) IANAL, but my read of that law seems to indicate that I wouldn’t be culpable under that law. It’s certainly possible I would be culpable under another. For everyone else throwing moral judgement my way, I’ll just remind you this is IMHO, and the Pit is down the hall if you feel the need. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/103 "2016-02-02T17:44:26Z")
> [@Mithrander](#): > > What really gets to me on this subject is the fucking entitlement in this thread. You all seem to think you have no responsibility to take care of your own property, and you all also seem to expect that the world will return it to you for nothing. If someone dares to suggest that their time in returning your lost shit is worth money, they are called names. This actually boggles my mind. Dude, you yourself said you were being a “mercenary asshole.” Your words, not mine. Last I checked, that’s not a good thing. Why do you think you’re entitled not to get called on it? Mercenary means “[primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics](https://www.google.com/search?q=define:mercenary).” You leave the phone alone because the guy was being a dick about it? Fine. Not the best response, but at least understandable. You see the item but don’t want to take the time to do anything about it–same deal, perhaps better if you really just don’t have the time. But to check it just so you can sell information about the item to its owner? That’s movie villain shit. To keep it and try to sell it back? That’s theft. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/104 "2016-02-02T18:24:27Z")
I have no idea about the legality of the situation and I don’t really care about it. I’ve never lost my phone or wallet but I have taken time to help return other people’s property because it’s the nice thing to do and I hope that others would do the same for me. To hold someone’s property for reward is shitty. A couple of years ago I found a diamond earring in a hotel room, many years ago I found a nice camera in a rental car (I took a selfie before returning it) and I told a story up thread about returning an iPod Touch and refusing a reward. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/105 "2016-02-02T21:08:52Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I would never ask, but just saying: If he has an iPhone, he’s either not poor or really stupid. Or he bought it used on Craigslist and has it on a $15/month plan with no data. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/106 "2016-02-02T21:40:17Z")
> [@Mithrander](#): > > Whoa, whoa. Sociopathic? Really? I’m not snooping through their phone for blackmail material. I’m not using it to lure them somewhere to do bad things to them. _Those_ would be sociopathic things to do. I’ll even add that if this was a friend’s phone, I’d just give it back to them. For a stranger however, I’d give them the choice to provide me with a little money or to pay a lot more money for a new phone, and I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. I would just agree to meet someone who tried this tactic for whatever money they try to extort, and then beat you up if you try to not give me my phone back. You better pray you never find a phone that is owned by someone who grew up rough, just a littlr friendly advice you probably dont deserve. There is video of this very situation happening on Youtube actually. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822/107 "2016-02-03T01:43:00Z")
> [@Mithrander](#): > > Then I’m a bit jelly that you’ve never had to deal with real sociopathy, and I hope your good luck continues. > > All I steal is jokes these days. > > Mostly because I’m not dumb enough to actually take it. In this situation, after ascertaining whose phone it was, I would put it back where I found it and I would then offer to sell the person in question the information on where I saw it. It adds a time element to force a decision, as if they don’t buy the info right away it becomes less useful as time passes. It also gets around laws about possessing and selling stolen property. > > What really gets to me on this subject is the fucking entitlement in this thread. You all seem to think you have no responsibility to take care of your own property, and you all also seem to expect that the world will return it to you for nothing. If someone dares to suggest that their time in returning your lost shit is worth money, they are called names. This actually boggles my mind. Whereas expecting reward money for being a basic decent human is not being entitled? Skinners’ rats got rewarded every time the did the right thing. The rest of us have evolved a bit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-reward-for-found-cell-phone-would-you-be-put-off/547822.md?page=5)