If you recieved random BTC, would you return it?

[thejaytiesto]

Let's say you wake up some day and you get like 1 BTC. For me this is a lot. What do you do? You return back the BTC to the owner, do you keep it? and why.

I don't know what I would do to be honest. I mean who knows if the guy that just sent you this is a criminal or a good man? Very tough decision. For someone like me that has a small BTC wallet and is trying to make as much BTC as possible before its too late due price going too high, it would be hard to return it, but I would feel bad to keep it too.

[1715552679]

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[1715552679]

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[xhomerx10]

Let's say you wake up some day and you get like 1 BTC. For me this is a lot. What do you do? You return back the BTC to the owner, do you keep it? and why.

I don't know what I would do to be honest. I mean who knows if the guy that just sent you this is a criminal or a good man? Very tough decision. For someone like me that has a small BTC wallet and is trying to make as much BTC as possible before its too late due price going too high, it would be hard to return it, but I would feel bad to keep it too.

 
 It would be pretty hard for somebody to inadvertently send you a bitcoin.

[thejaytiesto]

Let's say you wake up some day and you get like 1 BTC. For me this is a lot. What do you do? You return back the BTC to the owner, do you keep it? and why.

I don't know what I would do to be honest. I mean who knows if the guy that just sent you this is a criminal or a good man? Very tough decision. For someone like me that has a small BTC wallet and is trying to make as much BTC as possible before its too late due price going too high, it would be hard to return it, but I would feel bad to keep it too.

 
 It would be pretty hard for somebody to inadvertently send you a bitcoin.

Yes, it's pretty hard to mistakingly change a letter for another letter and that address actually existing, but stranger things have happened. In this forum people has reported recieving Bitcoin out of nowhere, so I guess out of millions of transactions it can happen.

[sempak]

if I got it for free, then I would not give it back. I think it was a gift for me because of the possibility of wrong delivery address wallet does not seem likely.

[thejaytiesto]

if I got it for free, then I would not give it back. I think it was a gift for me because of the possibility of wrong delivery address wallet does not seem likely.

A total random mistake like the one I defined above (like having 12rqhr98r98ry98qYR89qr9q or whatever, and sending it to 12rqhr98r98ry98qYR89qr9w because you mistake q for w) is really, really, really unlikely.

But, copy-pasting the wrong address, for example the guy had one of your addresses in the past and he was intending to sell 1 BTC somewhere else but mistakenly copy pastes your address instead

Or you waiting for 0.1 BTC but sender makes a mistake and sends 1.0....

this is more realistic and can statistically happen considering how many transactions happen daily.

[0xfff]

I doubt I would notice as all my btc is in cold storage. I also would have no idea how to contact who sent me the btc. I wouldn't want to send it back to the same address because it might be an address for an exchange where the btc would just get lost.

[lemipawa]

Let's say you wake up some day and you get like 1 BTC. For me this is a lot. What do you do? You return back the BTC to the owner, do you keep it? and why.

I don't know what I would do to be honest. I mean who knows if the guy that just sent you this is a criminal or a good man? Very tough decision. For someone like me that has a small BTC wallet and is trying to make as much BTC as possible before its too late due price going too high, it would be hard to return it, but I would feel bad to keep it too.

 
 It would be pretty hard for somebody to inadvertently send you a bitcoin.

Well it happened to me when I inadvertently sent BTC to the wrong person, it happened when I have a list of BTC that I need to send a particular amount of BTC so I copy and paste the BTC address and send. Luckily the guy send it back because he knew he received his pay already.

[xhomerx10]

if I got it for free, then I would not give it back. I think it was a gift for me because of the possibility of wrong delivery address wallet does not seem likely.

A total random mistake like the one I defined above (like having 12rqhr98r98ry98qYR89qr9q or whatever, and sending it to 12rqhr98r98ry98qYR89qr9w because you mistake q for w) is really, really, really unlikely.

But, copy-pasting the wrong address, for example the guy had one of your addresses in the past and he was intending to sell 1 BTC somewhere else but mistakenly copy pastes your address instead

Or you waiting for 0.1 BTC but sender makes a mistake and sends 1.0....

this is more realistic and can statistically happen considering how many transactions happen daily.

 In the first case, I would have received a previous transaction and be familiar with the sender so I would return the coins.
In the second case I would also be familiar with the sender and would refund the difference (maybe after subtracting the transaction fee in either case). Now, this could be problematic as the sending address could be from an exchange or a mining pool account and the coins would not actually be received by the sender.  I guess it would be prudent to try to contact the person before sending the coins back if possible.  Hopefully people would only send coins from wallets under their direct control.
 I could never keep something that wasn't intended for me.

 

[patronis]

I'd probably just keep it especially if I didn't know where it came from. What if the address I was sending it back to was just an exchange address? Better in my hands then in limbo...

[MTBTT]

if I got it for free, then I would not give it back. I think it was a gift for me because of the possibility of wrong delivery address wallet does not seem likely.

Lol yeah maybe I would have done the same thing as you dude I mean maybe it was luck that is given unto God to you
so you receive bitcoin from god. and you should receive it dude.

[tiffyroman]

Honestly, I wouldn't.

I mean, what are the chances of me getting bitcoins randomly? <0.00001%. There are just so much addresses and it would have been very lucky for me to receive coins randomly. However, I would return the coins if the sender asks me to return it, but I'll keep a few of it as compensation from his mistake.

[groll]

Let's say you wake up some day and you get like 1 BTC. For me this is a lot. What do you do? You return back the BTC to the owner, do you keep it? and why.

I don't know what I would do to be honest. I mean who knows if the guy that just sent you this is a criminal or a good man? Very tough decision. For someone like me that has a small BTC wallet and is trying to make as much BTC as possible before its too late due price going too high, it would be hard to return it, but I would feel bad to keep it too.

If I receive a random bitcoin I will gladly return it. But the problem is to whom will i give it back. I will return it if the person who send me btc will show up and claim it from me by presenting datas tha he or she owns the btc. But at the end of the day I will not use that bitcoin until that person who owns that bitcoins shows up. It is not mine to its not for me thats my motto.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Why would I return it?  The person who sent it obviously doesn't know to spend it properly,  and who knows what he'll do with it next.  Returning it would only be wasting good bitcoin.   

[jacee]

I would if he can prove that he is the owner of the bitcoins tht was mistakenly sent to me. I wouldn't just send it back to the address which was sent to me though. I mean I will wait for them to contact me and provide proof of ownership if they are telling the truth. If nothing came to take it bac then maybe I'll just keep it safe in the meantime and think over if I'll use it or not.

[leonix007]

Yes, I'll probably return it, IF the person could trace and contact me the soonest possible otherwise I may spend in at tradings.. lol, honestly, i am willing to return it as long as I will not give so much effort to whoever sent me or rather know from where the heavens it came from.  

[patronis]

Honestly, I wouldn't.

I mean, what are the chances of me getting bitcoins randomly? <0.00001%. There are just so much addresses and it would have been very lucky for me to receive coins randomly. However, I would return the coins if the sender asks me to return it, but I'll keep a few of it as compensation from his mistake.

Yep, this is pretty true. I feel like what OP is really getting at is the same real life scenario of someone leaving some money on a table by accident and you find it, or a wallet - would you return it to its owner or go out of your way to find the owner.

[Cyaren]

Why would I return it?  The person who sent it obviously doesn't know to spend it properly,  and who knows what he'll do with it next.  Returning it would only be wasting good bitcoin.   

I would also do this! No point in sending it back. I would then keep it and probably invest in something or maybe just hold on to it for a while until I can figure out what to do with it or when the prices change to my liking.

[xhomerx10]

Why would I return it?  The person who sent it obviously doesn't know to spend it properly,  and who knows what he'll do with it next.  Returning it would only be wasting good bitcoin.   

I would also do this! No point in sending it back. I would then keep it and probably invest in something or maybe just hold on to it for a while until I can figure out what to do with it or when the prices change to my liking.

 This is pretty weak justification for keeping something that isn't rightfully yours.  The coins have readily identifiable ownership linked to them - the sending address.  If you found a wallet on the street which contained money and identification, would you keep that because the person "obviously doesn't know" how to possess a wallet? 

[isen]

I mean who knows if the guy that just sent you this is a criminal or a good man?

It's difficult to answer but i think that i would send them back i'd rather return the money to a criminal than steal them from a good guy who needs them...even if they come fron a criminal i don't  want his dirty money.

[HilbillyFred]

I honestly would not give it back because its your own mistake and how can you even do this.
You always have to check your adress.