Student says wallet finder demanded $1,000 after being given $100 reward

A university student who lost a wallet says the person who returned it demanded HK$1,000 as a reward and continued to pester the student after receiving only HK$100, sparking debate online.

According to Sing Tao Probe, a sister publication of The Standard, the student said in a social media post that the wallet was lost while travelling on KMB bus route 268X from Mong Kok to Hung Shui Kiu. The loss was reported to the bus terminus and police on the same day, but there was no news until five days later, when the student's school said someone had found the wallet and left a contact number.

The student questioned why the finder had kept the wallet for five days instead of handing it over to the police. According to the post, the finder claimed to have taken a taxi to the student's housing estate to return the wallet, but security guards refused to accept it on the student's behalf. The finder eventually managed to contact the student through the school.

The student said the intention had been to offer money to cover the finder's transportation costs as a token of appreciation. However, the finder allegedly replied that the "market rate" for returning a lost wallet was HK$1,000.

Unable to afford that amount, the student gave HK$100 instead.

"I didn't expect the finder to keep saying it wasn't enough," the student wrote, adding that the person continued to "harass me endlessly."

The student also pointed out inconsistencies in the finder's account.

"The finder first said they took a taxi with three children to my estate in the morning, then later said the taxi fare alone was HK$170 at night. Which version am I supposed to believe?" the student wrote.

The post sparked discussions online. Some said the finder’s demand had strayed far from the traditional spirit of a token of gratitude.

Others shared similar experiences. One commenter recalled losing a mobile phone in a taxi, only for the driver to demand payment before returning it, claiming to have made a special trip.

"If you don't return it, I'll call the police," the commenter told the driver.

The commenter added that while returning lost property is a good deed, using it to pressure someone into paying money was no different from extortion.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓