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Finding Money While Geocaching.


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Today, while looking for a micro hidden in an old stone wall, I found a pill bottle.

 

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Upon close inspection, I noticed it was crammed full of money ...

 

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Wow, I could hardly belive my luck. Upon reading the cache description page, I realized this was not the geocache ... it was someone's cash cache.

 

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Upon further investigation, I noticed the cache I was looking for Cache on the Loose had been temporarly disabled since March. So, I'm thinking this loot ($138) was not intended to be part of geocaching.

 

What should I do? Keep the money, or what?

 

This is the second time we've found money while geocaching. Last year, my son and I found $40 laying on the ground while walking to the woods where the cache was hidden. Anyone else found any money while geocaching?

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The responsbile thing to do would be to turn it in to the cops. If no one claims it in like 30 days, the rest of the money is yours...

 

Or you could take out a small finders fee for yourself and then turn it in to the cops...

Edited by TeamK-9
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If you cant find its owner here is an idea.

What if it was intended for somebody who needed the money for surgery or something vital. This seems too fishy... Check if it is fake. If you don't get a response there is a Geo crisis for a town where all there caches have been plundered. If you send it to someone there they could act upon my idea of buying a tracking device and placing it in an ammo box under a fake bottom. Than they would be able to find the weirdo who steals everything and be able to live in Geo harmony y again. If you just buy something for yourself sure it would impact you more directly but what if you gave them that money. Than you would have made a difference in more than 20 lives (approx). Your reputation for being a kind hearted person would grow and maby a few caches in your honor would be placed there. You see everyone is happy. Think of it you and your generus actions may even become a story told around the campfires of geocachers everywhere. Plus you would feel better about yourself adn others would be eternaly grateful.

:D:o:(:D:D:D:D:D

Just think about it for now so that you do not make any hasty judgements.

Edited by Team Flying Dachshund
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what if it was intended for somebody who needed the money for surgery or something vital. This seems too fishy... Check if it is fake.

$138??? In the middle of a stone wall?

Chances are good that it was a drug payoff.

 

Again, I say keep it.

Edited by TEAM 360
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$138 gets you 3.82 grams, $247 gets you 6.58 grams...what'll it be?

 

OK Vinnie, where's the $138 you owe me?

 

Who makes a $138 drug buy? :D

 

nfa

What would be a normal sum? :D

 

Either, spend the cash on a motion camera and see if you can find any more cash stashes (and after that gets old send it off to ID for a maggot sting, great idea Team Flying Dachshund!).

 

Or go turn it over to the police, though I kinda wonder who would try to claim they 'lost' a tube of money in the park :(

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Somewhere, someone is looking for the Z103.8 prize pack and they can't find it. All of the clues added up....Pink Floyd's "The Wall"...Eminem's "Purple Pills"...Hole's "Celebrity Skin"...but there's no Pill bottle in a Hole in The Wall...

 

But aside from that, here's what you do. You tell the local police that you have found a moderate sum of money in small bills in an orange pill bottle in a wall at XYZ location. If the owner can describe the amount, location, and container to whichever Detective is given the case to file, then you will bring the container and the money down to the station. If not by the time given in the finder's laws in your state, then you will keep it. In this way a number of things can occur:

 

1. You can hold onto the cash to prevent the 'they came for it' defense of the police.

 

2. The original hider if of good intention on hiding it can retrieve it from the police instead of losing their money.

 

3. The police can be notified to a strange money appearance which could be linked to a possible crime taking place in that location.

 

Ta-da.

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$138 gets you 3.82 grams, $247 gets you 6.58 grams...what'll it be?

 

OK Vinnie, where's the $138 you owe me?

 

Who makes a $138 drug buy? :(

 

nfa

What would be a normal sum? :D

I don't know, but back in the days when I, I mean this guy I know, used to buy drugs, they were priced like: "$10-bag" :D

 

nfa

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My only thing is, and this is probably the deciding factor, but was it obviously hidden?

 

Like could you tell that someone had tried to hide it there or is it possible that they just left it there on accident?

 

But seriously, I like ju66l3r's idea for turning in the money...

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My only thing is, and this is probably the deciding factor, but was it obviously hidden?

 

Like could you tell that someone had tried to hide it there or is it possible that they just left it there on accident?

 

But seriously, I like ju66l3r's idea for turning in the money...

Who leaves money in a wall by accident?!! :(

MarcB

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The money in the pill bottle was very well hidden. I was just getting ready to leave the site when I noitced a small rock wedged in the stone wall. Once I removed the rock, I saw the pill bottle. The pill bottle had been there awhile because it was covered in dirt residue and the money inside the bottle was damp.

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My first impression is that it was a kid caching his allowance money. Why in a wall instead of a piggy bank? I have no idea, but that was my first impression. However if it is known that there are drug dealers in the area, that would be my guess. What would I do? Well now that we all know about it you have to do something noble like donate it to your favorite charity. I'd like to think I would do something like that but I don't know. I probably wouldn't have told anybody and just went and bought something right away. Hey! At least I'm honest!**

 

**Yes, I realize that statement makes no sense. I'm honestly ripping someone off. :(

Edited by JMBella
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Make a point to buy something fun for yourself that you want but would not otherwise buy. Like a spare GPSr for introducing friends to geocaching. Every time you use it you will be reminded of your good fortune. If you just "keep it" you'll end up just using it to buy food or pay bills.

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I don't think it is drug money, they don't usually leave money lieing around long enough to get moldy on the outside of the bottle. or so I hear. But it may have been stolen and the real thieves are in jail right now and that is why they haven't come back. If you tell the police they may not return it as it will be evidence and they will need to hang onto it in case they need it for later.

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The police can confiscate anything related to drugs. Thus if you can't prove where you got the money or that you had a reasonable reason to have it, you can lose it.

 

The burdon of proof falls on you not the police.

 

I don't know if this has changed in the past 10 years but if it hasn't turning it in is a one way ticket to the money being gone. How could you prove that you "reasonable stored money in a pill bottle in the woods" if you are the rightful owner? You can't, let alone the finder proving anything.

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Serendipity when geocaching seems to happen a lot. There's a lot of good suggestions listed, and I agree with keeping the money and writing it off to the old theory, "The Lord loves a geocacher."

 

Mopar wrote:

Wow! I've been looking all over for that!!!!!

So THAT'S where I left it!

Ya know what, keep $5 for your trouble, and ship me the rest. Thanks!

 

You're so bad, Mopar! :(

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I wouldn't leave a note with your name or contact number, what if they aren't good people? then they know where to come for their money. and if it was a "good person", ask yourself, what little old lady do you know that hides their money in a rock wall in public? Usually it is around the house or yard.

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If someone is dumb enough to leave $138.00 in a wall in a public park, then they are dumb enough to lose $138.00.

 

Finders Keepers.

 

If I was to leave money in a park I would expect it to be taken. Congratulations on you gook luck.

You can always use part the money to do something nice for someone else so they can share in you good fortune then ask that they pay it forward.

GEO.JOE

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Keep the money but, send $30 of it here for this poor person so they can keep their premium membership.  :(

 

Rich

I actually like that idea. You would still have $100 more then you started with, and the good karma sure couldn't hurt.

Edited by Mopar
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I dissagree with most of the above sentiments...

 

The best thing you could do would be put the bottle back as you found it with a note and some type of contact info.

 

Agreed. Obviously do it through a "safe" contact method (cell phone # that's less readily traceable to home address if you're concerned)--but the VAST majority of folks are good.

 

How about a homeless person's cash/savings???

 

I've seen makeshift abodes of the homeless in nature preserves multiple times over the years.

 

Were I homeless, where would I keep my excess cash? I wouldn't want it all on me since that's too risky.

 

I can't put it in the bank, 'cause I don't have an address. I could pay for a safe deposit box or something, but that costs a lot. If I trust a friend to keep it secure, I can't access it without them.

 

I'd probably leave a small amount (in case they return and need some) with a contact note. If drug-related, they won't bother to spend the time to contact you. If more critical (homeless/destitute), they can recover it. If obsolete, no matter.

 

The fact that it's all dirty/wet doesn't mean much--look at geocaches! Frequent visitation/tending and they still end up dirty/wet.

 

Enjoy,

 

Randy

 

PS: Nevermind the obvious moral choice (I'm amazed how unethical most of the above respondants are), in most states, property intentionally left (like geocaches) is not missing/lost but still THEIR personal property--you are legally responsible for returning it or are technically stealing.

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Just one question - How old is the "newest" bill? May give you a clue as to how long it's been there. I guess I'm with the group that believes there's not many legitimate reasons to hide large amounts of money in public places. It's not like finding a wallet where you can trace it back to the owner.

 

Pocket the money and get on with your life.

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Many homeless people hide money while they try and save for a place to live. Being homeless and living on the street while carrying money just doesn't mix. They might wonder around all day looking for cans and carry enough money for that day(food,drinks...ect) and hide the rest in a safe spot to return to it later.

Edited by Warbones
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I guess I'm with the group that believes there's not many legitimate reasons to hide large amounts of money in public places

 

That's as inane as my father suggesting there's no legitimate activites one could be pursuing after midnight when I was a teenager. Playing RPG's and watching movies???

 

That eliminated any change my folks had of instituting a curfew--whoops! (Then again, perhaps parents shouldn't try reasoning at 3:00 am with a rather awake teenager.)

 

Now nearly 20 years later I know better, having returned from caching at those hours (nevermind having many an edit job finish at those hours--double-time, gotta' love it.)

 

Anyway, those quick to jump to their own conclusions notwithstanding, stealing someone else's money isn't socially acceptable behaviour--and I'm surprised so many encourage it here.

 

The reasons the money was hidden there are irrelevant. Taking it without providing a method of recover is outright theft. Guessing as to the legitimacy of it being hidden there has no impact on that.

 

(Does anyone else find it ironic that a community incensed by geocaches being tampered with [worth zero to tens of dollars] have no problem outright stealing somebody's hundreds of dollars?!??)

 

Scary,

 

Randy

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