Legal experts warn why you should never pick up cash off the ground without searching for owner

"Finders keepers" doesn’t hold up in court, especially when it comes to picking up cash off the street. Experts warn that people can end up in jail for keeping cash without making an attempt to find the rightful owner. Even worse, some have claimed that picking up bills from the floor nearly killed them. Therefore, people should not pick up money found on the street.

Legal implications of keeping the lost money

According to a Findlaw Blog, if a person picks up money that does not belong to them, the owner may allege theft. Therefore, a state's theft laws may be used against the finder and they can end up in trouble. 

For instance, in California, the Penal Code Section 485 says a person who finds "lost property" or in this case, money and fails to make an attempt to return it to the rightful owner, or she may face theft charges.  The criminal penalties may depend on the value or the type of the items taken. While smaller amounts may qualify as a misdemeanor crime, larger sums and things like credit cards may even lead to felony charges, as per the blog.

Health implications of picking up money off the streets

In 2022, a Kentucky woman claimed that picking up a dollar bill from the ground, nearly killed her. As per WSMV-TV, the woman claimed that she got fentanyl poisoning from the bill that was allegedly laced. Renee Parsons shared her account of the incident on Facebook, which went viral. 

Following the incident, a sheriff’s office in Tennessee also issued a warning against picking up folded dollar bills as in one case a bill tested positive for both methamphetamine and fentanyl. 

However, experts suggest that it could be misinformation, as chances of fentanyl overdose from skin contact are nearly impossible. Dr Caleb Alexander, epidemiologist and drug safety expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Fox that the skin is a "very good barrier" that prevents adverse effects of fentanyl just from touching.

What to do instead?

In an interview with The Mirror, Gerard Filitti, a senior attorney at the Lawfare Project, explained that there are better ways to go about when deciding what to do with lost money.

Filitti said that the best course of action would be to return the money to the owner and if he or she can't be located, it could be returned to the store or customer service of the place it was found in.

Furthermore, if the finders don't feel comfortable in submitting the money to a third party, they can always contact the local police and let them take care of it. Depending on the state laws, if the money goes unclaimed for a period of time, the finder may even be able to claim the money. 

For instance, as per FindLaw, in California, people who find $100 on the ground need to contact local police. This may change from state to state thus, finders may consult an attorney apart from the local police, to figure out the best course of action.

Contacting the owner also carries risk as people could find stolen wallets with items or money taken out from them already. This may put the burden of proving their innocence on the finder.