What would you do if you found $500 in a grocery store parking lot?
In a viral video, TikToker Leasa (@comradekeene) shares what she did after finding a wad of cash. Her choice sparked plenty of discourse.
“I just found $500 in the Costco parking lot and returned it to the bank,” she says.
At the bank, Leasa says she returned the cash to the bank teller. “While I was standing there kind of talking to the lady saying, ‘Hey, I just found this in the parking lot. I’m pretty sure someone dropped it,’” she recalls.
She says that as she told the bank teller this, a woman came running into the bank.
“It was her money, and I’m so glad that it was me who found it,” Lesas notes.
The viral 23-second clip has 485,000 views and hundreds of comments.
@comradekeene ♬ original sound – Leasa
While Leasa felt compelled to be a good samaritan and return the money, not everyone agreed with her decision.
“You don’t ever return cash. Always keep the cash you find. How do you know it was the old lady’s?” one viewer asked.
Another questioned, “Why couldn’t it be a blessing to the person who found it tho? Why is it always better if you return it? unpopular opinion.”
While some viewers poked holes in the story, wondering how true the situation was.
“Sooo… Costco parking lot and returned to the bank. Was there a bank in the Costco parking lot? Why wouldn’t you have returned it to Costco? I’m not believing this. Sorry!” a viewer shared.
However, some viewers commended Leasa’s actions.
“You restore my hope in people doing the right thing,” one shared.
Another commented, “Thank you for doing this. I feel like there are so few of us who would turn it in.” Leasa responded, “I disagree I bet when faced with the same situation most would do what I did. We all know what it means to lose that kind of money.”
Are you legally obligated to return found money?
There is much debate about what to do when you find lots of money, but Attorney Lauren Baldwin at Criminal Defense Lawyer has provided some insights.
“Many communities have local laws or ordinances governing what someone must do if they find cash and don’t know who it belongs to..These laws usually require that a person who finds money, especially larger amounts (for example, $100 or more), turn it over to the local police,” she wrote.
In some instances, the law may even authorize the police to return the money to the finder if no one claims it within a certain amount of time.
The reason why local laws require individuals to turn in found cash to the police is because cash “is a piece of property that originally belonged to someone other than the finder.”
“Cash you find is not legally yours—it’s still the owner’s money. Your state or local law will likely have something to say regarding what you need to do if you find property or cash,” according to Baldwin.
The Daily Dot reached out to Leasa via TikTok comment and Costco via email.
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