Lost a card? What will make the finder contact you?

We've all lost something. And read stories about somebody who found an item and tracked down the owner.

But wouldn't you expect that if the lost card is handed into an office, the officials will try to find you. Apparently not.

I recently lost two cards.

On the off chance, I stopped at a station I use regularly in Singapore. I asked the man in the ticket office: "Do you by any chance have my card with my photo on it?"

He pulled out a box of cards. I could see that one was a credit card.

Another was an identity card.

Sample identity card. Photo from Wiki.

I asked, 'Are you going to contact the owners of those cards?'

He replied, 'No. We will only call if there's a phone number on the card.'

I was shocked. If you have a credit card, you can call up the credit card company and tell them the identity card number on the card and they could call the owner and tell them which office has the card.

I would expect the office to either return everything to a central lost and found department, or to keep a list of phone numbers of regularly lost items.

I always thought it was a danger to put your phone number on a card. If anybody finds it, they could ring up the credit card company or any official organization pretending to be you. Or phone you and ask to meet you to give back the card and then go to burgle your house when it is empty.

Now I am re-considering. What am I considering?

1 Putting a number on my card - ideally not my number but a male colleague's business number.
2 Complaining and demanding that action is taken to return lost cards.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.