In Maine, if You Found a $20 Bill, do You have to Report it?

Sometimes finding money can change your whole day.

Even just the smallest amount of unexpected money can alter your whole mood. You could be having the worst day ever, and decide to drown your sorrows in a Little Debbie snack from the vending machine at work, and when you grab your change, you discover somehow, there's an extra 50 cents in there. It's your lucky day, right?

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Or perhaps while doing your laundry, an unexpected $5 bill shows up in your pocket that you'd totally forgotten about. That always feels like hitting big on a scratch ticket. While these aren't substantial sums of money usually, they can fix your attitude in a heartbeat. Finding larger sums is even more fun.

Have you ever found a big number bill on the sidewalk?

I've never been that guy. I've almost broken my nose falling down, trying to chase a $1 bill across the Hannaford parking lot. But I've never found anything of any great significance. But sometimes people do. I've had friends that have found $100 or more on rare occasions. But what are you supposed to do? Just keep it?

Well, no. In fact, here in Maine, you're supposed to turn in/report anything you find with a value greater than $3.00. No one cares if you get a few extra sense in the vending machine, but if you found an envelope with about any amount of money in it, you're supposed to turn it over to the proper authorities. It's state law.

If you turn it in and no one claims it, can you keep it?

Well, kinda. It's not as simple as that. Look, it's money. You know darn well that the state will certainly want a cut, and they'll probably get it in a couple of ways. First off, if no one claims it, and you decide you want it, it will cost you half the amount. Found $1000? You'll get $500, and that's it. And of course, there's a waiting period, according to WGME.

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Look, it probably happens all the time, and people never claim a darn thing. But if it were a fairly large sum of money and it was somehow traced back to you, there's likely some pretty hefty trouble you'll find yourself in. In every risk, there's a reward. But often, with every reward, comes a consequence.

You can keep one of these cereals if you find it, because they were definitely less than $3 the last time they were around...