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..to the lucky bastard who lost his 3G iPhone in the Pittsburgh airport
- Thread starter maokh
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IMO, the best thanks you can give to that unknown person is to be just as honest as them when you are given the opportunity.
I would turn it in. Just think how you would feel if it was yours that was lost and how appreciative you would be to get it back (even if you never meet the person that found it).
The last thing I would do would be to turn it in to Lost and Found. A few years ago I was going to Europe and I changed planes in Newark. I left my glasses on the plane I flew in to Newark on. The airline people told me that it was no problem, that I could pick up my glasses at the lost and found when I returned. When I returned two weeks later, I went to the airline lost and found, and they told me that after a week, they send all of their lost and found stuff to their main lost and found in Houston. I never saw the glasses again.
I think, unlike other things, not having an iphone in your pocket is probably something you will notice within a few minutes. Especially in an airport when you are very likely to make a call or check email one last time before departing.
In the pittsburgh airport, there is a sort of one way train that moves between the security checkpoint and the gates. There are two of them, so its not easy to get on the same one.
The iphone had the default "earth" logo and two missed calls from a caller's name in upper case. I almost left it there, as people were watching me pick up the phone as if i was going to swipe it. Its always fun to pry, but some things are best not disturbed.
The TSA and I decided it would be a good idea to leave it in the sterile zone because if the traveler was departing the airport, it would be difficult for them to run out of security and get it back.
You may poopoo lost and founds, and probably good reason to, but usually I have found that the actual port officials and TSA are pretty good at handling lost items.
My wife left her iphone (it slipped out of her pocket) when we boarded a plane at the portland airport earlier this year. We figured out pretty quickly that she lost it, and i wrote it off as no fat chance in hell of finding it again. I called her phone when we arrived at the destination, and a girl answered.
She was at the port lost and found...and apparently they let a pile of cell phones sit in a box and answer them when owners call. Something quite funny ensued but ill spare my dignity.... anyway, she got her phone back.
In the pittsburgh airport, there is a sort of one way train that moves between the security checkpoint and the gates. There are two of them, so its not easy to get on the same one.
The iphone had the default "earth" logo and two missed calls from a caller's name in upper case. I almost left it there, as people were watching me pick up the phone as if i was going to swipe it. Its always fun to pry, but some things are best not disturbed.
The TSA and I decided it would be a good idea to leave it in the sterile zone because if the traveler was departing the airport, it would be difficult for them to run out of security and get it back.
You may poopoo lost and founds, and probably good reason to, but usually I have found that the actual port officials and TSA are pretty good at handling lost items.
My wife left her iphone (it slipped out of her pocket) when we boarded a plane at the portland airport earlier this year. We figured out pretty quickly that she lost it, and i wrote it off as no fat chance in hell of finding it again. I called her phone when we arrived at the destination, and a girl answered.
She was at the port lost and found...and apparently they let a pile of cell phones sit in a box and answer them when owners call. Something quite funny ensued but ill spare my dignity.... anyway, she got her phone back.
found a diamond ring once
When I was little (probably 8 or 9), I was playing in the sand at the beach and found a diamond ring. Long story short, I (my parents) read in the newspaper that someone lost their wedding ring. The owner was extremely nice and grateful and offered me a reward of $100. My parents told me that it was my choice whether or not to accept the reward, but to imagine if I had lost my most prized toy at the time. Needless to say, as bad as I wanted the $100, I knew I couldn't accept it.
Some people live by the "Golden Rule". However, after that day I always live by the "Mother Rule." That is, in times of ethical dilemmas, ask if your mother would be proud of the decision you will make. If not, then you should make a different decision.
I like to think that most people are "good" and do the right thing. I think that many of the bad things that happen in the world are done by people who feel they don't have any other choice. A man who steals bread to feed his family is a good example.
On the other hand, some people are just greedy. For whatever reason, some people feel doing the right thing is overrated. Soon-to-be Ex-Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is a good example.
So, I commend the OP and many other posters who would act similarly. And to the Governor Blagojevich's of the world, your mother would not be proud of your decisions.
When I was little (probably 8 or 9), I was playing in the sand at the beach and found a diamond ring. Long story short, I (my parents) read in the newspaper that someone lost their wedding ring. The owner was extremely nice and grateful and offered me a reward of $100. My parents told me that it was my choice whether or not to accept the reward, but to imagine if I had lost my most prized toy at the time. Needless to say, as bad as I wanted the $100, I knew I couldn't accept it.
Some people live by the "Golden Rule". However, after that day I always live by the "Mother Rule." That is, in times of ethical dilemmas, ask if your mother would be proud of the decision you will make. If not, then you should make a different decision.
I like to think that most people are "good" and do the right thing. I think that many of the bad things that happen in the world are done by people who feel they don't have any other choice. A man who steals bread to feed his family is a good example.
On the other hand, some people are just greedy. For whatever reason, some people feel doing the right thing is overrated. Soon-to-be Ex-Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is a good example.
So, I commend the OP and many other posters who would act similarly. And to the Governor Blagojevich's of the world, your mother would not be proud of your decisions.
Well..... I really believe if I found it and took it to the lost in found that someone from the lost in found would probably keep the phone anyway.
So, with that said.... I'd take it home, jailbreak it, and probably give it to one of my friends / family. Sorry Charlie, you tiger now.
So, with that said.... I'd take it home, jailbreak it, and probably give it to one of my friends / family. Sorry Charlie, you tiger now.
I'd take it to an AT&T store, they could locate the owner and the two could be reunited.
I work for a local parks and recreation department for the city. And i found a sprint phone last summer in one of the parks. I didnt have time to call numbers and wait around to meet up with someone so i could give it back. So i took it to the sprint store down the road. I asked if they could find the owner, the guys says "well i guess" with somewhat of an attitude.
I found a phone a couple of days ago at the post office. I just handed it in at the counter.
If you find a phone, it's not a good idea to go through someone's contacts or emails and call/email people at random. You never know what might be on the phone, and by going through its contents, you're potentially accountable for what's on it. I know this from talking to the manager of an insurance company.
Here's a scenario: A dodgy guy loses his phone full of illegal porn images. You pick it up, start playing with it, calling contacts and checking emails to find out who owns it. You don't locate him so it gets handed in to police. They check it, find out who owns it and discover the porn, but the owner claims that it is YOU who put the files on, and can prove that you were using the phone...
If you find a phone, it's not a good idea to go through someone's contacts or emails and call/email people at random. You never know what might be on the phone, and by going through its contents, you're potentially accountable for what's on it. I know this from talking to the manager of an insurance company.
Here's a scenario: A dodgy guy loses his phone full of illegal porn images. You pick it up, start playing with it, calling contacts and checking emails to find out who owns it. You don't locate him so it gets handed in to police. They check it, find out who owns it and discover the porn, but the owner claims that it is YOU who put the files on, and can prove that you were using the phone...
AFAIK, they're only legally allowed to do that if they have been presented with a court order. Otherwise, they could continually track everyone, since when do you go anywhere without your phone?
Unlikely, and would never hold up in court. Police would issue search warrants for both individuals and could definitely figure out who the guilty party is.
...your welcome
If you found an iPhone in a public location with no owner, what would you do? Would you turn it in....or take it home?
I found someone's iPhone in San Francisco last month. I was able to track down the rightful owner using the address book method (even though an earlier poster recommends against it); it was sitting on a bench along the sidewalk by the Bay so there wasn't anywhere I could turn it in to. I wasn't entirely sure what to do at first so I called my mom (on my own phone, mind you
) and asked for advice. I narrowed it down when I noticed an awful lot of entries with the same last name--I figured they were all related. Needless to say the owner was very appreciative.That'd be awfully hard to prove, don't you think?
Of course my scenario is unlikely. But that doesn't really matter. The moral of the story is don't go messing around with someone else's phone, or laptop, or whatever.
But here's a true story, and they're getting sued for it...
The only reason this is even a lawsuit is because her nude pictures ended up online, without her permission, and she claims McDonalds had posession of the phone. If they were truley responsible for this, then they'll lose the lawsuit.....
but, you can't get in trouble for going through someones cell phone contacts, LOOKING at the pictures, or anything of the sort.