"Never Pick Up a Lost Wallet" SNS Warning Post Spreads

Claiming "There were tens of thousands of won in the wallet" causes embarrassment
Cases of deliberately dropping wallets and accusing thieves reported

On social networking services (SNS), netizens are warning each other to be cautious, saying that picking up a wallet dropped on the street could lead to being mistaken for a thief.

On the 3rd, Twitter user A posted a message advising people not to pick up wallets near the exit of Hongdaeipgu Station. The post recorded about 1.3 million views, 11,000 retweets, and over 3,400 likes within a day on the 4th.

A stated that she recently witnessed a middle-aged woman deliberately dropping a small wallet near the exit of Hongdaeipgu Station in Seoul twice. She said, "She definitely dropped it on purpose. She deliberately let it 'plop' on the stairs and left," adding, "Today, while leaving work, I saw that small wallet again in front of Exit 2."

She continued, "What kind of trick is this? It seems like you shouldn't pick up the wallet. It's scary. Has anyone experienced this?" She added, "Trying to do a good deed by returning a wallet might cause trouble. I think it's better to be cautious. If you find lost property, reporting it to the police seems to be the safest way."

At the same time, she shared a messenger conversation with a friend who also witnessed the wallet. They exchanged messages like "The wallet is at the exit stairs again," "Isn't this human trafficking?" "They left it too intentionally," and "It's scary, so don't pick it up."

On the 3rd, Twitter user A posted a message near the exit of Hongdaeipgu Station advising not to pick up wallets. [Photo by Twitter]

One netizen who saw this warned, "Never pick it up; rather, report it to the police. An acquaintance found a wallet near a bank ATM and handed it over to the bank, but the wallet owner insisted there were tens of thousands of won inside, causing trouble. Even with CCTV, that happened, so it's even more dangerous on the street."

Another netizen said, "When I worked part-time at a cafe, I found a card and returned it, but they tried to take me to a cult church as a form of thanks," claiming, "Sometimes they deliberately slip a card between blinds and when you pick it up, they say thanks and drag you along."

Meanwhile, there are cases where people deliberately drop wallets and accuse those who pick them up of theft, threatening to report them and extorting money. Therefore, if you find someone else's lost item, you should notify the manager of the location or the police, or promptly take it to the police station in the condition you found it.