I was helping my friends kids do a park clean up and one of them found a large wad of cash (less than $200). I told the one who found it that I need to check with the police before she can have it, just in case it belongs to someone in need.
But is that a thing? I didn’t want to say she could keep it right away because I want to set a good example. But it isn’t a ton of money so I assume the police would not be interested. So what do?
Legally, in most jurisdictions, you report it.
Ethically, if there no ID or any identifiable infomation nearby, its very unlikely for the owner to be found, I think it’s fine to keep it. (If there is an ID, you should give it to the authorities.)
If it were any amount above $1000, I wouldn’t touch it, it could be drug money, don’t want to get caught up in some drug cartel bussiness.
Keep it mind, cops could pocket it. So if you really want to find the owner, you should probably try to find them yourself, at the cost of your time and potentially getting falsely accused of being a thief.
TLDR:
Options:
Your choice.