A part-time parking cashier at the Atlanta Airport turned in $7000.00 in cash she found on the curb outside the international terminal. The money was lost by an Alabama foot doctor on his way to Costa Rica on vacation.
Pamela North Holloway, who found the cash, reported it lost immediately to her supervisor who in turn contacted the police. “I could’ve kept the money but I didn’t do that. I’m an honest citizen. I’m a taxpayer and I believe in doing the right thing,” Holloway told WSB-TV.
Dr. Troy Zimbelman called the shuttle service he used at the airport and then the police when he discovered the money was missing. He was eventually able to claim the money because he knew specific details about the money and envelope. “I was very impressed and plan on sending her a little reward money, too. It was a nice thing,” Zimbelman said.
The doctor was running late for a flight to Costa Rica with a group of friends when he lost the money. He discovered the money was missing when he was going through a security checkpoint. He boarded his flight with the hope that he left it in the car before getting to the airport and would retrieve it once he got back to the U.S.
When he returned from vacation he discovered that the money was in fact missing. He assumed that since it was cash it wouldn’t be found, but after about 20 calls, he reached an Atlanta police officer who reunited him with his money. “I’m actually going to send her a check,” he said of Holloway. “Same with the police officer who helped me.”
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If I find money on the sidewalk I remember how I felt about a ‘measly’ five dollars when I was so broke I wasn’t sure if that night’s dinner would stretch us through the week so we could afford to hold off the electric company from shutting us off and leaving us without heat in the Midwest in December. That $7000 could have been the last of someone’s money in a last ditch effort to obtain some headway in today’s world. It wasn’t, but it was still money that someone earned.
With that much money? I’d be so paranoid it was from something illegal and they’d hunt me down. (I’ve seen the movies… I know how it works!) And also a place like that has millions of cameras. When I got caught, because I know I would, it wouldn’t be worth the repercussions and trying to pay back what I’d spent. But small sums like 5, $10, I’d probably keep it. I worked at a Wal Mart service desk for 3 years. No one EVER comes back for it and after a while it goes right into the companies greedy hands.
Had something similar happen to me. It wasn’t nearly as much (being in college can make $200 feel like $7k though), but I turned it in. I have reasons to believe the person I gave it to kept it rather than trying to find the person it belonged to. Personally, I think it should have been given back to me or donated to charity or something if the person wasn’t found, but either way I’d rather not have the guilt of keeping it on my conscience. If I lost money I’d want someone to return it.
Oops, didn’t read the question. I voted “yes” cause I thought the question was “would you keep it”. Of course I’d keep it! I would save it all and maybe end up with a little less student loan debt.