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I found an unopened iPhone on the Metro North today....

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nevesis said:
Tell me in the law where I can find this statute. Or is this just the moral code of EricNau? :confused:
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I'm not sure about the US, but in the UK we have an offence called 'Stealing by finding'. It basically means that if you find something and you don't hand it in to the police (or its owner) then you have stolen it.
 
nevesis said:
Tell me in the law where I can find this statute. Or is this just the moral code of EricNau? :confused:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost,_mislaid,_and_abandoned_property

Bear in mind that the underlying policy goals to these distinctions are to (hopefully) see that the property is returned to its true original owner, or "title owner." Most jurisdictions have now enacted statutes requiring that the finder of lost property must turn it in to the proper authorities; if the true owner does not arrive to claim the property within a certain period of time, the property is returned to the finder as his own.[citation needed] In Britain, many public businesses have a lost property desk, which in the United States would be called a lost and found.
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If it had been turned into the police you can get a receipt for it. If it remains unclaimed for the particular period of time specific to that juristiction it comes back to you.
 
OP, if you want to do the right thing, turn it in to Metro North lost and found. Or turn it back in to the Apple store--which ever you think has the best chance of getting it back to its rightful owner.

The iPhone may be very tempting, but if you don't turn it in, you're really just putting your desires above what's right. And if you're going to do that, have a little shame about it.
 
Congratulations on justifying your "great luck" to yourself.

I can say without the slightest bit of doubt that I would go out of my way to return that iPhone to the Apple Store it was purchased from. It's not my $400 phone, and it's rather easy for the Apple Store to contact its rightful owner. I would do it, because I know IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

Maybe having a code of morals and ethics to live by just isn't in vogue anymore.
 
if you'd lost it, what would you have tried to get it back?

Police? You haven't notified them.
Metro L&F? You didn't follow their procedures
Apple Store? You didn't leave them details either

You could have left your contact details with all 3 even if you were worried about taking the iPhone to them. That takes a call. Less than a dollar outlay and little time on your part.

You didn't do that because you thought they might steal it but to all intents and purposes you've stolen it. At least in the proper channels it would have some chance of getting back to the owner. Now the poor sod has nothing except your lesson on being more careful. Great - I hope karma comes back to bite you.
 
Applespider said:
if you'd lost it, what would you have tried to get it back?

Police? You haven't notified them.
Metro L&F? You didn't follow their procedures
Apple Store? You didn't leave them details either

You could have left your contact details with all 3 even if you were worried about taking the iPhone to them. That takes a call. Less than a dollar outlay and little time on your part.

You didn't do that because you thought they might steal it but to all intents and purposes you've stolen it. At least in the proper channels it would have some chance of getting back to the owner. Now the poor sod has nothing except your lesson on being more careful. Great - I hope karma comes back to bite you.
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I was just about to post the same thing. You could get contact details out to all three for very cheaply. If it was me who lost the phone, I would call the Metro station first, Police second, and Apple third. By giving them all contact information, you are doing you best to return the phone to its rightful owner.

You started this thread the same day you had found the phone, and already by then you had decided to keep it. I wouldn't really call that "doing your best." There's a strong chance the owner hasn't even realized his/her mistake yet. Give your details to the above mentioned sources, and wait a few weeks. Only then will you have done all you realistically could. Seems to me like you took it expecting not to find an owner, and then halfheartedly tried to find them to help justify it to yourself.

Do the right thing. It will pay off in spades.
 
You KNOW he paid by credit card (as per Apple policy). Go and return the phone and the $432 will be put back on the rightful owner's card.

And, please, DON'T bait them into saying 'No' by explaining the whole story.
 
I don't mind you not leaving it there in the lost & found. I wouldn't trust that either.

But you should give your name/number or email to them for surely the owner will call..... And they shouldn't be punished for being "stupid" to leave it. For all you know, they bought it for their dieing kid and they have stuff on their minds. You never know.
 
Exactly you could have left your contact info and the # on the box so they could verify whomever was asking was indeed the rightful owner, but instead you decide to brag about it on a mac site and rub it in the guys face. Anyone who losses a 400 phone is going to try and find it and just because they didn't do it in the timeframe you had set for them doesn't mean it is yours. You know if you went to the store and brought them the phone they would have used the info on the box to see who it was sold to, but you knew if you did that you'd be out a phone so instead you lie to yourself to make yourself believe you did everything you could. You are just a jerk who will get his when Karma hits. I hope that you are then treated just the same. What a jerk to brag here and know you could fix it. Jerk .
 
SIUGRAD99 said:
Exactly you could have left your contact info and the # on the box so they could verify whomever was asking was indeed the rightful owner, but instead you decide to brag about it on a mac site and rub it in the guys face. Anyone who losses a 400 phone is going to try and find it and just because they didn't do it in the timeframe you had set for them doesn't mean it is yours. You know if you went to the store and brought them the phone they would have used the info on the box to see who it was sold to, but you knew if you did that you'd be out a phone so instead you lie to yourself to make yourself believe you did everything you could. You are just a jerk who will get his when Karma hits. I hope that you are then treated just the same. What a jerk to brag here and know you could fix it. Jerk .
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Totally agree. To nick a phone is bad enough (this is basically stealing, period), but to brag about it on here just proves you are indeed a complete :eek:

Anyway, what goes around comes around!!!
 
What a bizarre thread... I think the real moral of this story is that if you happen upon good fortune, do not post it on an Internet forum. Everyone has an opinion, and most of them will be contrary to yours.

It is so easy for folks to say that you ought to have done more, but they aren't the ones doing it and they certainly aren't doing it in your shoes.

Personally, I think the most appropriate thing to do is to call the Apple store and give to the manager the serial # of that iPhone. Take down the manager's name and give him your contact information. Then, deliver the iPhone to the police and get a dated receipt that includes the serial #.

I think the odds are high that the lucky finder will be able to keep the iPhone -- but must wait 30 days and put in a some effort.

And, to the folks chattering about the police coming to arrest the OP's sister - that'll likely happen when pigs fly and hell freezes over.

EVP
 
SIUGRAD99 said:
Exactly you could have left your contact info and the # on the box so they could verify whomever was asking was indeed the rightful owner, but instead you decide to brag about it on a mac site and rub it in the guys face. Anyone who losses a 400 phone is going to try and find it and just because they didn't do it in the timeframe you had set for them doesn't mean it is yours. You know if you went to the store and brought them the phone they would have used the info on the box to see who it was sold to, but you knew if you did that you'd be out a phone so instead you lie to yourself to make yourself believe you did everything you could. You are just a jerk who will get his when Karma hits. I hope that you are then treated just the same. What a jerk to brag here and know you could fix it. Jerk .
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Dude - it seems that your beef is one of moral turpitude. If that is the case, then wouldn't you want to take the high ground yourself? Namecalling and throwing disdainful judgement around aren't normally considered strong moral turpitude either.

EVP
 
avaloncourt said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost,_mislaid,_and_abandoned_property



If it had been turned into the police you can get a receipt for it. If it remains unclaimed for the particular period of time specific to that juristiction it comes back to you.
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This sounds like the proper thing to do. Not give it to a family member.

If you are still opposed to trusting the police then sell it and give the proceeds to charity... but even then you're selling stolen property.
 
eddietr said:
Yes. To the OP, are you in Manhattan often? Just take it to the store and ask to speak to a manager. I'm sure they can contact the buyer and issue a credit if necessary. Or simply get the phone to him or her.

If you're a little persistent, you should be able to get them to do this.

Come on, the vast majority of these phones are paid by cc. And the stores always ask for your email address. Worst case, they could issue a credit to the cc.
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Didn't Apple stores require ALL cash payments for iPhones a few months ago along with a 1 or 2 phone per customer limit?
 
nevesis said:
Tell me in the law where I can find this statute. Or is this just the moral code of EricNau? :confused:
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nevesis said:
I was not about to spend the rest of my day traveling around spending money and turning into a detective to try and correct someone's extremely foolish mistake.

I did what I could, and a majority of people would have not even thought twice about trying to return it. Especially with an item as hot as an iPhone.

Again, its a lesson learned for someone, and a lesson for us all to be more careful with our personal possesions. Especially ones JUST purchased. :cool:
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nevesis said:
I am giving it to my sister as a gift.

if someone is THAT stupid to actually leave that on the train, they don't deserve to even own the iPhone.

Finders keepers. :D:apple:
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This is my last post. It is clear that the op has no intention of doing the right thing./ Picked it up with the intention of theft.
 
JBaker122586 said:
I can say without the slightest bit of doubt that I would go out of my way to return that iPhone to the Apple Store it was purchased from. It's not my $400 phone, and it's rather easy for the Apple Store to contact its rightful owner. I would do it, because I know IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
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I would do exactly what I hope someone else would do if they found my phone. I'd go out of my to make every effort to return it, even if it took several days.

I've had someone return a lost wallet to me, and that meant more than I can tell you. Many years ago my father lost his wallet with over $1000 in it. Someone found it on the street in NYC and returned it with all the money.

In my mind, there's no question what I would have done. If more people helped each other out instead of having some screwed up sense of entitlement we'd all be better off.
 
I don't know what's more lame...the OP's feeble "attempt" to return the phone to the owner, or his/her obvious need for redemption from a board of anonymous netizens.
 
I could say "you should make every effort to give it back via the Apple Store", but then it's easy for me say that. I really benefitted once from someone returning a lost item to me.

I was on holidays in Sydney, Paddy's Day, a little the worse for wear, and my wallet fell out of my pocket in the taxi. Thankfully, I only realised it the next morning when the taxi driver called to say he'd found it and was driving over to the hotel to deliver it to me. (He'd traced it via a door key inside the wallet). If he hadn't, I was stuck on holidays with no money and no ID.

Go on. Make someone's day. You know you want to. :)
 
If the right thing to do isn't morally obvious, then consider these two choices:

1) Gives to local police or Apple store. Owner gets it back, possibly offers reward. Or possibly finder gets kudos in local newspaper for returning it.

2) Serial number is registered as stolen. Finder or his family activates phone, then gets charged with receiving stolen goods, at the least.
 
You can be a hero or a jerk.

Lots of jerks in this world, damned few heros!

It's your call - but trust me on this one; what goes around, comes around!
 
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