Found a phone

alanem

Posts: 24   +0
I was in Naples Airport last week and I found a smart phone on the floor in a public area. I spoke to a man in the Security search area and he suggested I give it to a policeman but he did say that it would just be destroyed as a security measure. I did not know if this was true but I could not find a policeman to ask so I spoke to people at the gate and they could not help either. The plane was boarding so I had to get on. I spoke to the cabin crew and to the people at the airport when we landed in the UK but nobody could suggest anything. Everything is in Italian so I can't understand it but I did see the email app and I sent a message but got no reply. I also got some names from the list of contacts and have sent texts using Google translator via my phone and I have had replies but they make no sense. I know now I should have just left the phone in Naples but I was worried the police would simply destroy it without trying to find the owner. I felt I must make an effort to return it as it must have cost a lot of money but I'm getting nowhere. Have I just got to bin it? Any suggestions please...this is driving me nuts.
 
You are going to have to find a translator that can speak both languages.

After further thought, send the phone back to the Service provider. Explain to them you found a phone and want to return it to the owner.
 
Thanks for taking the trouble. The problem I have is I don't know who or where anybody is...the owner, server or what and I can't find out. I'm not that knowledgeable about smartphones more so as it's all in Italian As I say I've spent hours pondering over this and I'm begining to think the Italian owner can't be that worried. He's probably got a new one through his insurance by now anyway. Somebody has suggested I take it to the Police wait 90 days and when nobody turns up, claim it for myself but even so can I do anything with it?
 
Great effort and ethics, but life gets messy as you are experiencing. IMO, the right thing to do is WIPE the phone by any means possible to protect the user's content. If it's a GSM phone, THEN pull the SIM card and destroy it. Recycle the device and you've done all that can be reasonably expected.
 
Somebody has suggested I take it to the Police wait 90 days and when nobody turns up, claim it for myself but even so can I do anything with it?
You stressed out about returning a phone someone may have dropped on the go ?

A.Be a tech junky ***** wipe it clean, clear out any data, reinstall the said so os for the phone sell on ebay.uk.

B. Call them up since you feel a need to get rid of it.
https://www.google.com/search?ei=1_4GWu2TDoXTmwHYjJ2YCw&q=recycling center uk&oq=recycling+center+uk&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i20i263k1j0i22i30k1l8.6704.22102.0.22867.60.35.5.0.0.0.116.2203.29j3.33.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..32.28.1763.6..35i39k1j0i131k1j0i67k1j0i10k1j0i3k1.151.Lz9v8ztSgXg&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=54129330,-1665599,340284&tbm=lcl&rldimm=5475253384064220197&ved=0ahUKEwiS2dqH1LbXAhXHWCYKHagNAH4QvS4IUTAB&rldoc=1&tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2#rlfi=hd:;si:5475253384064220197;mv:!1m3!1d3517164.023771803!2d-1.7674932500000002!3d53.969715!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i151!2i281!4f13.1;tbs:lrf:!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2

C.If you're too lazy to do A. B. put the thing in your drive way, run over it put it into a recycling bin for pickup with local trash.
 
Thanks to all...here's an update. I sent text messages to a lot of the names in the contact list. Also emailed names in the gmail account. I found the name of the Italian server from the SIM card and wrote to the CEO of the company and supplied IMEI numbers. Everything was translated into Italian and it took ages and I didn't hear a jot from anybody. The phone has now gone for spares...RIP. Lesson learned.
 
Sorry but I thought I had finished this thread when I posted in November that the phone had gone for spares but I have since found out that I made a serious security blunder by taking an unknown phone from a stranger on a plane. What a dogs breakfast that could have been!!!
 
I found a Samsung Note today as I was riding around. Stuck it in my back pack & went shopping. When it started ringing, I found no way to answer it or turn it off. I ended up turning it into the local police dept. telling them I hope it don't ring. I do hope the original owner gets it back.
 
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