# Woman finds bag of cash - turns it into the Bank **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453 "2013-06-20T12:19:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/21 "2013-06-20T16:14:20Z")
200,000 in mixed bills would probably weigh well over 100 lbs. I think the 20,000 is probably closer to the mark. A US bill of any denomination is approx. 1 gram. 200,000 in one dollar bills is approx 440 lbs 200,000 in fives is 88 lbs 200,000 in tens is 44 lbs 200,000 in twenties is 22 lbs 200,000 in 100’s 4.4 lbs ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/22 "2013-06-20T16:17:26Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The money could also be counterfeit. Go on a nice spending spree and the Secret Service might come knocking, asking about how it is you claim you just “found” some money (in a bank bag) and thought it’d be a-OK to keep and spend it. Which is why a manufactured tale about finding an envelope with $500 in it, turning it in to the police, and awaiting news might be a plan. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/23 "2013-06-20T16:22:08Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Maybe I’m naive, but if I spend $300 at Lowe’s to buy the safe, and it gets put in the till, it probably doesn’t get to a bank until it is bundled with all of the other sales of the day/week. In a large metro area we’re talking thousands and thousands each time the Brink’s truck picks up. Same with the grocery store, etc. Do the banks even scan them? I would think that the best they could do is narrow it down to the area/city, but as long as you don’t make a habit of spending them at the exact same place on the exact same day of the week I think the risk is very small. I’m figuring that if they could track money in the 1930s, it probably is easier now when they grab the security camera tapes at Lowes that are trained at the cash registers. There aren’t that many cash transactions to go through. Certainly not as many as there were in Bruno Hoffman’s era. Is the risk small, sure. But the downside of being charged with a crime is pretty big. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/24 "2013-06-20T16:27:41Z")
Doesn’t anyone remember No Country For Old Men? It never ends well. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/25 "2013-06-20T17:22:29Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > Doesn’t anyone remember No Country For Old Men? It never ends well. Or [A Simple Plan.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Simple_Plan_(film)) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/26 "2013-06-20T17:34:50Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Or [A Simple Plan.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Simple_Plan_(film)) Yeah, seriously. Remember that story where someone finds a bigass sack of cash and keeps it and it makes their life better? You don’t? Me either. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/27 "2013-06-20T18:00:04Z")
[Pictures of $200,000 in $20.](http://theoatmeal.com/blog/charity_money) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/28 "2013-06-20T18:24:54Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, seriously. Remember that story where someone finds a bigass sack of cash and keeps it and it makes their life better? > > You don’t? > > Me either. Because the people who keep it don’t crow about it, not because it’s never happened. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/29 "2013-06-20T19:30:52Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > That’s a good question. I don’t know the real legal answer to this, but I can tell you that unless the finder is OK with keeping it as mattress money and keeping it in the house, they pretty much have to come up with how they got it if they try to deposit it. > > Cash deposits of $10,000 and up have to be accompanied by an IRS form filled out by the depositor. Unless you can come up with a really good cover story and possibly documentation to back it up (like a death certificate if you claim it was in a shoebox from your recently deceased grandma), the IRS is going to come knocking and at the very least tax you on it. “I found it” isn’t really going to fly. Banks also pay attention to large cash deposits in personal accounts even when they’re under $10,000, large personal cash deposits are very unusual. So, the other alternative would be to, well, start your own business and launder it (not recommended). > > Handing it over to the police or the bank would probably be the least troublesome thing to do, it wouldn’t be worth the headache to me. You are correct. Attempting to deposit this money in a bank will raise alarms, so you don’t. Assuming you have a job, you are probably getting paid by direct deposit into your account. This is the money that you stop spending and let pile up. No one is keeping track of how much of your paycheck you are spending each week. The transaction of your payroll deposit will never raise any alarms and the fact that you never spend it will not be noticed. You use the ill-gotten gains for all your day-to-day expenses. If the serial numbers of the found cash have not been recorded you can keep spending this money, and making small deposits into your bank account without fear of discovery. You just look like a very frugal person, no body is doing the math on your monthly budget. Cash for groceries, gas, beer, all of the normal purchases that don’t go through the banking system, you use the cash. Furniture, small home projects, neat toys, people may envy your ability to save for what you want but aren’t going to report you. Who couldn’t spend an extra $20,000 per year in incidental cash without causing suspicion? That burns through the money in 10 years. You could probably go through it in 5 years. As long as you don’t make a major purchase, like buying a car with cash, no one will notice. Be sure to pay your taxes on your declared income, and keep a job so you have a legitimate income, and you would be fine. Five or ten years of comfortable living while you pay your bills, bank your paycheck, pay your taxes, and keep your mouth shut. It’s do-able. Of course, this only would work for a loner type person. Your current wife can easily become your future ex-wife. And it is my experience that she might not be agreeable to your future plans. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/30 "2013-06-20T20:11:27Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, seriously. Remember that story where someone finds a bigass sack of cash and keeps it and it makes their life better? Sure, I remember _Boogie Nights_. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/31 "2013-06-20T20:20:11Z")
So lets say you found the money, took 1 bill out, and hid the rest. Took that one bill to a bank and said 'Hey I found this on the side of the road. Assuming it’s not reported missing, stolen, or counterfeit, can I keep it?" If the bank says stolen or counterfeit, you claim ignorance, and use the rest to roast hot dogs over. If the bank says it was reported, you lose $100, and gots a fat sack of cash. If none of those, you gots a fat sack of cash. Would this work? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/32 "2013-06-20T20:41:33Z")
Something tells me that the “finders keepers” contigent in this thread would hope like hell someone turned in the cash if it happened to be theirs - and would promptly prosecute/sue anyone found to have kept it. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/33 "2013-06-20T20:44:02Z")
The New York City police department has been running a sting called [“Operation Lucky Bag”](http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bad-buzz-nypd-sting-operation-lucky-bag-pol-put-setup-article-1.144861) since 2006. They place valuables (wallets, purses, backpacks) in public places such as streets, subway stations, and stores. They have even been known to place wallets inside purses on department store shelves. They station a uniformed police officer a short distance away. If someone picks up the property and walks past the officer without turning it in, plainclothes officers grab the guy and haul him in. If someone gives the property to the officer, then the officer frisks the guy and runs his ID and lets him go if nothing is found. Judges threw out a lot of the early arrests, but the police department has tightened up its procedures a bit. There are lawsuits pending over the practice. Recently, they have upped the ante by placing credit cards in the bags, meaning they can charge a felony. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/34 "2013-06-20T20:48:58Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Something tells me that the “finders keepers” contigent in this thread would hope like hell someone turned in the cash if it happened to be theirs - and would promptly prosecute/sue anyone found to have kept it. > > I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. See, I go way outa my way not to lose sacks o’ cash. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/35 "2013-06-20T20:49:30Z")
> [@panaccione](#): > > There is no way I’m turning that money in. 200k would make things a lot easier around here. What would you like me to do if you lose a big bunch of cash and I’m the one that happens to find it? ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/36 "2013-06-20T21:27:55Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Something tells me that the “finders keepers” contigent in this thread would hope like hell someone turned in the cash if it happened to be theirs - and would promptly prosecute/sue anyone found to have kept it. > > I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. Of course they would, but at least they are (somewhat) honest. I think MOST people would be tempted by (what they thought was) $200k in currency - especially if they thought it was untraceable to them - and that it belonged to a bank. FWIW - it’s easy for anyone with cash handling experience to determine if something is counterfeit by looking at security features. Unless you are dealing with Supernotes - you are not going to find something that has most of the security features - and even then it is doubtful that you will. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/37 "2013-06-20T23:44:13Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m always on the lookout for large bags of cash. So far, no luck. Me too. The worst part of this story? I live right down the road. It could have been me there! …why wasn’t it me? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/38 "2013-06-21T00:13:39Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > If someone gives the property to the officer, then the officer frisks the guy and runs his ID and lets him go if nothing is found. Not cool. There’s no cause for frisking someone or doing an ID check simply because they turned a found item over to the police (as they’re supposed to do). ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/39 "2013-06-21T00:14:48Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > I think MOST people would be tempted by (what they thought was) $200k in currency - especially if they thought it was untraceable to them - and that it belonged to a bank. Tempted, yes - but the true test of character is whether someone chooses to act on such temptations. Anyone can be honest when it costs them nothing. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453/40 "2013-06-21T03:28:48Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > Tempted, yes - but the true test of character is whether someone chooses to act on such temptations. Anyone can be honest when it costs them nothing. True. I returned $1200 to an individual who lost it. Made her day/vacation. Never thought twice. But I can imagine thinking twice (hell, thrice) about CHASE money in some mega amount. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-finds-bag-of-cash-turns-it-into-the-bank/661453.md?page=3)