Where are you owner of lost wallet?

August 26, 2011 8:33 PM

I found a young man's wallet today and tried to find some information, such as an email address or cell phone number, so I could contact him. No luck yet.

His name is unique and I found his Myspace page and a bit on yearbook.com but neither of those listed any contact info. He also has a Wells Fargo debit card, library card, and a work ID. I called his work but their offices are closed and won't open until Monday morning. Any people-finding sleuths out there have any tips, specifically how to get a cell phone number without paying a fee?

posted by perhapses to human relations (12 answers total)

Call his bank and let them know. They might return it to him out of courtesy, but I can't imagine they would give you his address.
posted by OLechat at 8:35 PM on August 26, 2011 [2 favorites]

My first stop would be the library. If they have a current number and are able to reach him, I'd just leave the wallet there for him to pick up (if the library is amenable to that -- depends on where you live, I guess).
posted by puritycontrol at 8:40 PM on August 26, 2011 [2 favorites]

Did you try Zabasearch?
posted by carmicha at 8:49 PM on August 26, 2011

People are generally a lot more amenable to requests to pass along information than they are to requests to release confidential data about a third party. So I'd try that. Is there any information in the wallet that would lead you to someone who knows him? Even calling the bank and asking them to pass along your phone number wouldn't be bad, but if there's a friend's phone number or any other information that might get you to an actual human being who can contact him, that would be better. Heck, if there's a dry cleaning receipt, the cleaners would have his number, and some employee there might take pity and be willing to give him a call. The point is not to get someone to tell you his contact information. The point is to get someone to tell him your contact information.
posted by decathecting at 8:53 PM on August 26, 2011 [5 favorites]

Looks like I'll just wait until Monday and call his work. That should be the best way to get a message to him.
posted by perhapses at 9:11 PM on August 26, 2011

When this happened to me, the good samaritan who found my wallet actually *dropped it off* at the bank closest to where they found it (also closest to my house!). The bank called me, and I was able to come get it ASAP. This might be a solution if there's a Wells Fargo nearby that's open weekends.
posted by kickingthecrap at 9:13 PM on August 26, 2011 [2 favorites]

Hello! Call his bank or bring it in person.

It sucks to have to cancel your credit cards and such. Call Wells Fargo!
posted by jbenben at 9:18 PM on August 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

And this, folks, is one reason why I have a slip of paper in my wallet with family phone numbers on it. With the "telephone numbers" heading clearly visible as soon as you open the wallet.

I agree that you should move quickly to involve his bank in the morning. By Monday the damage will have been done as he'll have cancelled his credit cards etc.

Although, as a young man, perhaps he isn't quite so responsible as to move that fast ...
posted by intermod at 9:44 PM on August 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wallet and dude are back together. I noticed yearbook.com had a feature where you can ask a person a question and don't have to be a member to do so. I asked him if he lost his wallet and said I needed his number. He replied, I called, and I just came back from gaving him his wallet in person. He was happy.
posted by perhapses at 9:50 PM on August 26, 2011 [26 favorites]

Even though this is resolved, if there is a state issued ID in the wallet, you can simply drop the wallet in a mailbox and the USPS will return it to the address listed on the ID. I have had this happen to a lost wallet of mine before.
posted by XhaustedProphet at 1:49 AM on August 27, 2011

Yay!

Perhapses, since it hasn't been said yet, you are a (checks profile page for gender) prince among men for going the extra mile to get this back to him on the weekend!
posted by misha at 9:46 AM on August 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

if the library is amenable to that -- depends on where you live, I guess

All the libraries I've worked in, for future reference, will let you leave a wallet there and they will call a patron and let them know it's there. They will not, in almost all cases, give you contact information for the person. It's a sort of common ruse for a cop to show up in a library with a wallet and say they need someone's contact information bla bla and the policy in every place I've worked is to ask them to leave the wallet there and the library worker will contact the patron.
posted by jessamyn at 9:54 AM on August 27, 2011 [2 favorites]