# You find an ATM with someone's card in it... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282 "2010-11-20T00:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/21 "2010-11-20T03:54:24Z")
I’ve had this happen to me. I brought the ATM card into the branch (fortunately it was business hours) and gave it to a teller. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/22 "2010-11-20T04:06:13Z")
I would try to return the card, and failing that, destroy it. But first I would probably make a balance inquiry because I’m a really curious person. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/23 "2010-11-20T04:28:46Z")
This actually happened to me; I walked up to the ATM machine and it was flashing the message “Do you wish to make another transaction?” There was no one around; I pressed ‘no’, put the card in my pocket and took it to the bank the following morning; I gave it to the branch manager and that was that. Oh, I voted that I would take nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/24 "2010-11-20T04:37:51Z")
I’d try to use it repeatedly with 1111 as the security code to get the machine to keep it so I don’t have to return it. As a side note, they are using new machines in my area that make the user take the card back before continuing on with the transaction. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/25 "2010-11-20T05:33:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Yeah, the only reason I can think of for stealing is not that you don’t know it’s wrong, just that you don’t think you’ll get caught, and I don’t think that’s a valid defence in court. Well, there’s also the possibility that you know the guy, and think that he’s a jerk who deserves to lose his money. It _is_ possible to steal while thinking you are doing right. But I doubt the courts will be amused by someone claiming they were playing Robin Hood via ATM. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/26 "2010-11-20T05:49:15Z")
Of course I wouldn’t steal. It’s both wrong and stupid; you’d get caught. There’s a camera, and by the time you realize there’s a card in there, the camera has seen you. And god knows I’ve lost cards before, and never had anything stolen. I ought to pay that forward. I didn’t vote on whether to return it; I might return it, especially during bank hours and if the ATM is attached to a bank. If the ATM was in the middle of something non-bank-like, I might take it home and cut it up. It’s a hassle for the person to get a new card, but they’ll be happy that no one stole anything, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/27 "2010-11-20T07:43:17Z")
I did this once. First, I considered running after the woman who had just left it, but I had been waiting and I didn’t want to lose my place in line. So after I finished my transaction, I took it to the bank (which was just across the street, so no big deal, I thought). Where I was grilled about who I was, and where I found it, and what time I found it. Next time, I’ll just take it home and shred it. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/28 "2010-11-20T07:48:04Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > You find an ATM - nobody is around, there’s no cameras to be seen. It has a card in it and the PIN has been entered, you can see a considerable sum of money in the account balance. I wouldn’t take any money. If the ATM weren’t attached to the bank, I’d ring the bank with a view to returning the card or at lest to advise them that the card had been lost and was now in my possession. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/29 "2010-11-20T07:50:45Z")
I’d take nothing and try to return it. I had a credit card fall out of my pocket onto the sidewalk once and someone found it and mailed it back to me. Another time, my brother lost my cell phone on a public bus and someone turned it into the driver and the central office went through the address book and called me to let me know they had it. Neither time was anything stolen from me. So I figure I owe some strangers. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/30 "2010-11-20T08:44:46Z")
This exact thing happened to me. I went to the ATM and instead of “Insert your card” it said “How much do you want?” So without thinking I said “hur hur hur” to myself and hit the maximum allowable amount button. The money came out, but then the card came out too, and the situation changed immediately from me having fun with a technical fault and free money, to me stealing from an individual. I felt terrible and went straight into the bank and handed over the card and money, and lied to them, saying that the money was in the tray when I arrived at the ATM. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/31 "2010-11-20T08:51:35Z")
Ten years ago most of the ATMs around here didn’t have cameras (according to a bank employee I knew at the time). That may have changed. Regardless, I’m not a thief and I wouldn’t steal from someone. I would take the card out and see if there was some way I could drop it into the deposit box if the bank wasn’t open or nearby. If I couldn’t do that, I’d call them and report it, or drop it in to the police station on my way home. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/32 "2010-11-20T14:19:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Nobody would ever know…but stealing is wrong! At least one person would always know. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/33 "2010-11-20T14:26:19Z")
So, nobody would make a deposit? Wouldn’t it be kind of cool (if you had the $$) to deposit twenty dollars just to mess with the card’s owner? ---
**Author:** ![tygre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@tygre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygre)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/34 "2010-11-20T14:46:34Z")
I turned in $1 that was left in the change dispenser of the self-checkout at my local grocery last week, so I’d turn in the card and full amount of the cash. I was in line behind a car at a drive-up ATM a few years ago and the car in front of me left their card in the machine. Once I realized it, the other car was gone. I took the card to the bank the next day. It’s what I would want someone to do for me. ---
**Author:** ![Dusty\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Dusty\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty_Rose)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/35 "2010-11-20T15:40:59Z")
I wouldn’t even think twice. I wouldn’t take a dime and would find some way to return that card. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/36 "2010-11-20T16:10:36Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > So, nobody would make a deposit? Wouldn’t it be kind of cool (if you had the $$) to deposit twenty dollars just to mess with the card’s owner? Now that’d be funny. 😃 The card owner desperately checks their account after they realize their card is gone, and… more money is in there than expected? ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/37 "2010-11-20T16:20:36Z")
Bank of America has an incredibly annoying (but in hindsight, safe) policy that any time you try to start a new transaction (which includes pressing the back button) at an ATM, you must re-enter your PIN. This is to protect people who run away from the ATM the moment their cash is spit out, without ending the transaction or taking their card. So really, the only way this would ever happen at my bank is if somebody types in their PIN and then walks away immediately. I hear that an incredibly common scam in NYC for people who find lost ATM cards is to take them to the nearest subway station and buy a couple of $80 metrocards (the machine won’t ask you for a PIN or signature if you charge it as credit rather than debit), and then start reselling swipes at the station for $1 a piece (swipes cost $2.25 the honest way). This way, by the time the ATM’s owner realizes that they lost the card, and call the bank, and then the bank reverses the metrocard purchase, and thus the card gets flagged, the scammer has already made a good $50. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/38 "2010-11-20T16:21:04Z")
> [@KinkiNipponTourist](#): > > Yeah, no brainer. Take nothing, try to return the card. > > Your turn, **Mr. Kobayashi** … I’m very pleased with the honest and law-abiding denizens of the SDMB, and can also categorically state I wouldn’t take anything and would try and return the card, based on the ethic of reciprocity. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/39 "2010-11-20T17:06:12Z")
I’ll admit I’d be tempted, but I would try to return the card without taking any money. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282/40 "2010-11-20T17:12:52Z")
I came across a machine with both the card and the money there. I looked around to see where the owner was, I could have easily walked away with both, I was about to take it out and put it through the letterbox, fortunately the owner rushed back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-an-atm-with-someones-card-in-it/561282.md?page=3)