Woman loses smartphone in Hamburg - Finder brings happiness back!

Am 5.07.2025 in Altona meldete eine Frau den Verlust ihres Handys, das dank eines Finders zurückgegeben wurde. Rechte und Pflichten beim Fund.
On July 5, 2025 in Altona, a woman reported the loss of her cell phone, which was returned thanks to a finder. Rights and obligations in the discovery. (Symbolbild/MH)

Woman loses smartphone in Hamburg - Finder brings happiness back!

Ottensen, Deutschland - An exciting and happy turn took an incident in Hamburg Ottensen, where a 38-year-old woman lost her smartphone worth 1000 euros on Friday afternoon. Shortly before 4 p.m., she reported the loss in the Federal Police Revier Altona, where the officials immediately started taking up the facts. But fate had meant well with her: While the police worked on the case, the woman's partner contacted her to tell her that the cell phone was found. Coincidentally, the finder, a 41-year-old man, when he made the call, had chosen the partner's number.

The Finder did not long for itself and a little later appeared personally in the police station to return the smartphone. The federal police praised its behavior as exemplary. "The finder acted exactly correctly," said Woldemar Lieder, spokesman for the federal police, and added that it was important to report the loss of a found object either to the owner or the police. Otherwise, this could not be seen as a embezzlement. This is particularly relevant, because from a value of 10 euros, a find must be submitted to the police or in the lost property office, as reported.

legal framework conditions

The legal situation is clear: Finder must report the find, otherwise they risk legal consequences. Finds up to 10 euros can be kept, but particularly valuable objects such as the woman's smartphone bring with them claims for finder wages. With a value of up to 500 euros, the finder is 5%, for higher sums it is 5% to the first 500 euros and 3% on the rest. If the original owner does not contact you within six months, the finder will even be legitimate owner of the found - this could also happen for the Finder of the cell phone in Hamburg if the contact is failed.

For finds in public transport, however, special rules apply: Here, the limit for the right to claim on finder is 50 euros, and the finder is also only half of the usual sentence. An example from 2016 shows that only 305 euros were paid out in a bus on a discount of 20,000 euros. These legal requirements are important for everyone who is confronted with objects found in everyday life, be it in the subway or on a walk in the park. So a demanding finder could do a good business if he is honest and follow the rules.

outlook and conclusion

The case from Hamburg reminds us that not only our distinction is required when we find objects, but also our helpfulness and the meaning of law and order. These positive examples make it clear how important it is to act properly and to respect the legal framework. A finder can be a nice remuneration for a good deed. But ultimately the integrity of the finder counts-and the joy of the recessed owners, as in the case of this 38-year-old woman in Hamburg.

For all those who are unsure which rights and obligations you have in the event of a find, a look at the detailed information at lawyer funding.de is recommended. So everyone stays well informed and can quickly make the right decisions.

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OrtOttensen, Deutschland
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