Finding $10,000 in Cracker Box - Family Returns Money to Owner

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Finding $10,000 in a box of crackers sparked a debate about morality and legality. Many participants expressed differing views on whether to keep the money or return it to its rightful owner, with some arguing that keeping it could lead to legal trouble or moral guilt. The story revealed that the money belonged to an elderly woman who mistakenly returned the box, raising questions about the ethics of keeping lost property. Participants also discussed the potential consequences of keeping such a large sum, including the risk of it being linked to criminal activity. Ultimately, the discussion highlighted the complexities of human behavior when faced with unexpected financial windfalls.
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What would you do if you found $10,000 in cash inside a box of crackers?

Back in the old days, I wouldn't blink, I'd try to find out who it belonged to. Now, I'd probably keep it and wait to see if it was reported in the news. If not...jackpot!

Have I become a terrible person?

Police later heard from store managers at Whole Foods in Tustin that an elderly woman had come in a few days earlier, hysterical because she had mistakenly returned a box of crackers with her life savings inside. In a mix-up the store restocked the box rather than composting it.

The Lake Forest woman, whose identity was not released, had lost faith in her bank and decided the box would be a safer place for the money.

Luckily for her, the box of Annie's Sour Cream and Onion Cheddar Bunny crackers were bought by the Rogoffs, who discovered the crisp $100 bills in an unmarked white envelope on Oct. 10.

The Rogoffs never heard from the woman and didn't receive a reward, but Rogoff did return to Whole Foods a couple weeks later.

"I asked them if I could have another box of crackers," she said with a laugh. The store obliged.
Whole Foods put an open returned box of crackers back on the shelf for resale? :eek: A mistake...right...

And that woman neither thanked these people or gave them a reward? How ungrateful.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cracker_box_money
 
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I'd turn it into the police, with a receipt to get it back it it weren't claimed. I think they have some standard procedure for that.

Story sounds a bit fishy, though. Have you filtered it through snopes.com already?
 
It's the Associated Press, so no, I assume it's valid.
 
Evo said:
It's the Associated Press, so no, I assume it's valid.

Pretty shady source... :wink: I checked Snopes.com, and no hit. I also tried to google to find out what the standard practice was with PDs about accepting found valuables and the reclaim procedure, and was not able to find anything useful. Weird.
 
i'd probably convince myself it was drug money and keep it. i suspect if i handed it to the police, they'd do the same and not return it to me if an owner was not located.
 
If I find money its mine. If someone gives me the wrong change I return it. If I find money while I know someone else is looking for it I'll return it.
 
I'd have to try to return it, else give it to charity. Must admit, I'd have a pretty good time giving it away.
 
I would definitely keep it, buy myself a few nice and expensive books, a new laptop, etc. And I would definitely NOT waste my time to find out who it belongs to. Now I know what you guys are going to say, that that person might be in terrible need of the money and could be poor and hungry for the rest of his/her life, etc. Now, there are billions of people that are poor and hungry all over the world, and yet you don't give away 10,000 dollars to them every day... not even in your lifetime, none of you would probably ever donate so much to charities. So this morale is half-baked. If you truly want to put the $10,000 to good use, don't give it back to the fool that lost it, but donate it to the Red Cross or other organization that truly helps people. That's what I have to say for morale, but I personally would keep it :P
 
I learned my lesson the hard way when I was a kid about 14 or so. I found a really nice Rolex beside the path in a national park, and turned it into the warden with the understanding that I could reclaim it if the owner didn't show up. Sure enough, when I checked a month later the owner hadn't shown up... but the watch had somehow disappeared.

The next time that I found something valuable (other than money that fell out of people's pockets in the bar, who were easy to track down) was a couple of years ago. There was a nice diamond man's ring lying on the sidewalk on my way to work. I put an ad in both local papers and on bulletin boards around town with the stipulation that the owner had to describe it properly in order to reclaim it. I got only one call, and that was legitimate... but it was for a different ring, not even close to the one that I found. I still have it.
 
  • #10
I would have an ad company pay me to put their ad on my T-shirt while I go on national news to turn the money in.
 
  • #11
Crazy Tosser said:
I would definitely keep it, buy myself a few nice and expensive books, a new laptop, etc. And I would definitely NOT waste my time to find out who it belongs to. Now I know what you guys are going to say, that that person might be in terrible need of the money and could be poor and hungry for the rest of his/her life, etc. Now, there are billions of people that are poor and hungry all over the world, and yet you don't give away 10,000 dollars to them every day... not even in your lifetime, none of you would probably ever donate so much to charities. So this morale is half-baked. If you truly want to put the $10,000 to good use, don't give it back to the fool that lost it, but donate it to the Red Cross or other organization that truly helps people. That's what I have to say for morale, but I personally would keep it :P

They don't give you all those things in jail Crazy Tosser.

"One who finds lost property under circumstances which give him knowledge of or means of inquiry as to the true owner, and who appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore the property to him, is guilty of theft."

California Penal Code section 485.

Its called larceny, and they will throw your *** into jail for it too, and rightfully so. It basically amounts to stealing.
 
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  • #12
It is absolutley stupid. MORONICALLY STUPID to keep the money. If that money was from a robbery, you are spending STOLEN MONEY. Which has a serial number, and will leave a nice trail BACK TO YOU!

Oh officer, I just found $10k in a cereal box and decided to spend it myself. I sware. Mmmm hmmm. So as you can see your honor, the defendant claims to have 'found' $10k in a box, and just decided to spend it on themselves. And for exhibit B, there's a bridge I'd like to sell you your honor. Prime location in NYC.

For all you know, that money could belong to a gang or the mafia. If they find out your spending their money that got lost, you're dead.

There are no good possible outcomes as a result of keeping it for yourself.
 
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  • #13
I can't imagine keeping a persons life savings. But I also can't imagine a open, returned box of crackers being resold.
 
  • #14
waht said:
I would have an ad company pay me to put their ad on my T-shirt while I go on national news to turn the money in.

Now that's using the old bean!:approve:
 
  • #15
hypatia said:
I can't imagine keeping a persons life savings. But I also can't imagine a open, returned box of crackers being resold.

:smile:
 
  • #16
Cyrus said:
It is absolutley stupid. MORONICALLY STUPID to keep the money. If that money was from a robbery, you are spending STOLEN MONEY. Which has a serial number, and will leave a nice trail BACK TO YOU!

Oh officer, I just found $10k in a cereal box and decided to spend it myself. I sware. Mmmm hmmm. So as you can see your honor, the defendant claims to have 'found' $10k in a box, and just decided to spend it on themselves. And for exhibit B, there's a bridge I'd like to sell you your honor. Prime location in NYC.

For all you know, that money could belong to a gang or the mafia. If they find out your spending their money that got lost, you're dead.

There are no good possible outcomes as a result of keeping it for yourself.

If you go through life this paranoid you couldn't enjoy the $10,000 anyway. As far as no good possible outcomes resulting from keeping it for yourself. I can think of one: You get $10,000.
 
  • #17
would you take the money?

 
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  • #18
Oerg said:
would you take the money?



Ahahaha that's classic.

Ten grand is a LOT of money, so the amount might make me think twice about keeping it. A hundred, two hundred... five hundred? Yeah I'd probably keep it without a second thought. Not ten thousand dollars... there are only a few circumstances where that much cash money is together at one time and it would make me too nervous. I'd probably take it to the cops and make sure I could get it back if no one claims it providing that's even possible.
 
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  • #19
I'd try and return it.
 
  • #20
Evo said:
Have I become a terrible person?

Oh Evo.....

This would be a delightfuly convo to have with Mr. Clean on your gumbo recipe date! :!)
 
  • #21
Cyrus said:
It is absolutley stupid. MORONICALLY STUPID to keep the money. If that money was from a robbery, you are spending STOLEN MONEY. Which has a serial number, and will leave a nice trail BACK TO YOU!

Oh officer, I just found $10k in a cereal box and decided to spend it myself. I sware. Mmmm hmmm. So as you can see your honor, the defendant claims to have 'found' $10k in a box, and just decided to spend it on themselves. And for exhibit B, there's a bridge I'd like to sell you your honor. Prime location in NYC.

For all you know, that money could belong to a gang or the mafia. If they find out your spending their money that got lost, you're dead.

There are no good possible outcomes as a result of keeping it for yourself.

As Tribdog said, you're paranoid.
 
  • #22
Crazy Tosser said:
As Tribdog said, you're paranoid.
Bah, don't you watch TV? The only possible outcomes are to be blamed for stealing the money, and for the actual theives to come looking for it. (Or both)
 
  • #23
Hey, Tony Soprano could muscle the management of the grocery store into letting him review the security tapes so he can identify the mother of three (by then going to the nearest DMV office where he'd match her photo to the driver's license records once he explained that his organized crime syndicate was robbed and somebody needs to be whacked) that stole the box of crackers he left ten grand in on the fourth shelf of aisle 12.
 
  • #24
Crazy Tosser said:
As Tribdog said, you're paranoid.

<rollseyes> Did the part of keeping the money being illegal escape you?
 

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