What would you do if you found others' keys?

[serjent05]

This issue is a moral issue. Our beliefs, our culture, and our view of the world can answer this problem. So we can all have different answers... I would first take a symbolic amount of money from the wallet and then send the same amount back to the wallet. Thus, the owner of the wallet would understand that their funds were not safe and transfer their Bitcoins to another wallet. If he/she doesn't transfer their Bitcoins to another wallet, I would send clear messages from several social media platforms to be more careful. If I don't see any movement again, I think the wallet is unclaimed. As a last resort, I would be a little reluctant but after waiting a few years I would get the Bitcoins in the unclaimed wallet (I'm ashamed to confess it).

It isn't shameful in my opinion, you had waited enough, you had sent a message by sending out and sending in transactions to alarm the owner of the keys.  Being honest isn't shameful, at least you have the guts, to tell the truth, unlike most people who pretend to do good deeds but when the situation happens, will do the opposite. 

I admit that if I found a seed phrase there is a huge chance that I will use the balance in it.  After doing several attempts to notify the owner like sending a message days before moving the coins.

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[akuntester1]

What would you do if you managed to come across someone else's private key and it's worth an amount that most people would 'prefer not to lose', assuming you have no [idea who it belongs] to or [location clues]? Eg. Sweeping through common books' text for BIP39-based keys.

I suppose you could send a dollar's worth to a different address and hopefully they'd get the hint.

If that really happened, I think that day is the most unlucky day for the owner of the key.
No one wants to even deliberately to remove it right?.

If I find it, of course it will do various ways to find the owner.
If I still can't find it I'll just keep the key.
Just secure it and do nothing to the funds stored there.
I assume the owner must still have a copy of the access key.
And if he realizes he has lost the key, he will definitely back up or move the funds in it.

I just think if we lose the private key, we will immediately back up or move funds there.
If someone misuses the private key, of course we will be very annoyed and curse the person who took our money, right?.

[drwhobox]

Some transactions are easy to distinguish when come to exchanges or go to exchanges, if I found one of those transactions and manage to identify the exchange there is a enough good chance I could convince the technical support of the exchange to send a mail or notification to the user about his seed being completely compromised.

That is a cleaver idea, but the idea of identifying exchange is a bit tricky. You will have no idea what exchange that particular address is from and I think to find out the exchange you need to make a list of potential exchanges and ask for their support one by one.

Another thing, if you somehow manage to identify the exchange there is no guarantee that the support of that exchange will help you out with information about the owner. Or maybe he sold to someone and it was his customer's exchange address.

I could convince the technical support of the exchange to send a mail or notification to the user about his seed being completely compromised.

That exchange address owner might not be the owner of that wallet. The owner of that wallet or the private key just made a deal (sold, donate, or transfer for any other purpose) with the user (exchange address owner) that's why you saw the transaction.

[CoinEraser]

In my opinion you shouldn't move the coins. If you somehow get hold of someone else's keys, you do not have the right to steal these bitcoins. From my point of view that would be theft and you should ask yourself if you are a thief. I would and have never stolen fiat money and I wouldn't do anything like that with bitcoins either. If all of a sudden your own coins were gone, it would certainly be a hard blow for every person. So the motto should be what you don't want to experience yourself, don't do it to anyone else. 

[boldandbrave]

Maybe i'll just keep it and do nothing and wait for a few months or years if it doesn't seem like someone has claimed it like there's no activity on the wallet and i think it's an abandoned wallet maybe I'll move it and use it for something useful for other people not for self. If I use it for myself it makes me feel guilty to use other people's money without permission

[Quidat]

What would you do if you managed to come across someone else's private key and it's worth an amount that most people would 'prefer not to lose', assuming you have no [idea who it belongs] to or [location clues]? Eg. Sweeping through common books' text for BIP39-based keys.

I suppose you could send a dollar's worth to a different address and hopefully they'd get the hint.

Majority would be sweeping out that address and im sure to that.Only a few in todays world would really be that honest and would be thoughtful when it comes to money.If they do saw
something that is really an amount which it would really be causing up for your entire life to change when it comes to money or finance then you would really be having any doubts.
You would really be that thinking that you arent been seen or known about it or totally anonymous basing up on those coins that you had just accidentally logged in.
Its unrealistic but most of the time you would be sweeping those funds.

[Hispo]

-snip-

That is a cleaver idea, but the idea of identifying exchange is a bit tricky. You will have no idea what exchange that particular address is from and I think to find out the exchange you need to make a list of potential exchanges and ask for their support one by one.

Another thing, if you somehow manage to identify the exchange there is no guarantee that the support of that exchange will help you out with information about the owner. Or maybe he sold to someone and it was his customer's exchange address.

-snip-

That exchange address owner might not be the owner of that wallet. The owner of that wallet or the private key just made a deal (sold, donate, or transfer for any other purpose) with the user (exchange address owner) that's why you saw the transaction.

In general, I have noticed some exchanges (like Binance) basically assign an unique Legacy address and Segwit address for clients to deposit, anything that goes to that address is added to the balance of that specific client, so they have a data base with the clients and their deposit addresses.

Even if the client requested for a change of address, I would have the date of the transactions, so I can give the address and the date to the exchange for them to identify the client.

The biggest obstacle would be to get people from the exchange to cooperate.


Another idea would be to wipe the wallet of the person towards mine using a single transaction, on that transaction I could leave a message on the blockchain using OP_Return, something like:

"Contact me: Bitcointalk user: Hispo"

The person would contact me as soon as realizes it and just to be sure it is the actual owner, I would ask for a signed message from the seed we both have.

[coinerer]

If I find someone's private key and if there is a lot of money in it, then since it is not possible to trace the owner through this private key, I will distribute the funds in this wallet to poor people and donate to some organizations where orphans live.

Maybe I might be lucky to get some funds from you since you would want to be send part of it to the poor and needy.

Lol Are you kidding me with this? If I give it to poor people, I must give it to an organization that has real poor & Helpless people. How can you be a Helpless man where you have enough means and ability to earn

Since everyone one has some level of greed then we might be mislead by our thought to go away with the BTC but our consciousness cam drag us to give part of it out since we can not always find the owner.

In a decentralized world there is no way to trace an owner with a private key because when you make it public thousands of people will claim it and who do you consider to be the real owner?

[Minor Miner]

Most of us will for sure say we will try to track down the owner and try to return it, but the reality is that it is difficult and for sure you will keep it or transfer it immediately. Still, I belong to the lowest percentage of people who are honest. This happened to me earlier this year, around December, when I received an amount that was sort of large in our local online wallet with our own fiat. Someone mistakenly sent me an amount, which fortunately is easy to track, so I was able to return it. It is not good to own money you don't have. If you found it, you should leave it there and wait for the owner to discover it. Don't touch it.

Your case is a different situation, because if someone mistakenly transfers money to your account, they can also report to the bank and ask the law to intervene, if it is a large amount and you intentionally do not want to give it back to that person, and you'll be in more trouble. But if it's bitcoin, they can't know us, and they can't rely on police support or sue us. Both cases are not the same.

I used to return the money when I picked it up, but it was a small amount for me, so I didn't need it. But if it's bitcoin and it's a huge amount, I really don't know how to deal with it, because I've never been in that situation. If someone says they will find a way to give it back or give it to charity, I doubt it.

[Bushdark]

Most of us will for sure say we will try to track down the owner and try to return it, but the reality is that it is difficult and for sure you will keep it or transfer it immediately.

Many of us would never even bother about the source of the money because we all know that things are easier said than done. We can admit to do something without looking back when it does not involves money but when money is involved, people tend to behave contrary to what they had admitted to. Money influence of money is huge and we can always be a victim if we are not discipline.

I used to return the money when I picked it up, but it was a small amount for me, so I didn't need it. But if it's bitcoin and it's a huge amount, I really don't know how to deal with it, because I've never been in that situation. If someone says they will find a way to give it back or give it to charity, I doubt it.

Truth is bitter and sometimes if I saw people writing about similar cases like this, I just laugh at them if they say that they would return the money in Bitcoin to the owner or Charity so they will not have anything to do with the fund. We know we all are humans and if this kind of scenerio eventually happens, that is when you will see people that are writing/saying they are gokg to keep the money running away with the whole fund with thinking twice.

[AicecreaME]

If I'm gonna be honest, I'd say I wouldn't do anything about it, because the rightful owner do still have access on that private key and I don't have the right to steal those money from him in any way. My conscience cannot handle that kind of act, I'd still rather have my own money earn from my own hard work and not an easy money that just stumbled upon in the internet.

[Ayers]

I used to return the money when I picked it up, but it was a small amount for me, so I didn't need it. But if it's bitcoin and it's a huge amount, I really don't know how to deal with it, because I've never been in that situation. If someone says they will find a way to give it back or give it to charity, I doubt it.

Truth is bitter and sometimes if I saw people writing about similar cases like this, I just laugh at them if they say that they would return the money in Bitcoin to the owner or Charity so they will not have anything to do with the fund. We know we all are humans and if this kind of scenerio eventually happens, that is when you will see people that are writing/saying they are gokg to keep the money running away with the whole fund with thinking twice.

If I were in that situation and it was a large amount of money, my greed would definitely rise, like it or not because I'm human. It is a harsh fact that I see a lot of people trying to cover up and think they are noble. Honestly, if I told you I would never touch that money, I'd be lying to you. Being human, everyone has greed, and I don't believe anyone who is saying they won't touch it and won't take it.
This is a question that really puzzles people's honesty, because even if they took it, they'd go online and say they wouldn't take it.

[humanvelocity]

I am a very humble and trust worthy Gentleman. If i found your private keys then I’d mostly likely try tracking you and let you know about the key. Humanity is still alive 

[livingfree]

Is that even possible? I'm thinking with all of these situations that you may accidentally find it but then if there's a chance I'd give it like a 0.000001% chance. Yeah, random zeroes.

Will probably do nothing and I think the owner has a backup as well and if by any chance that it's just a piece of paper and has flown on the streets and "accidentally" found it.

The owner might probably appear on some forum and most likely here since this is the main bitcoin forum telling this crazy incident.

[BitcoinPanther]

If I'm gonna be honest, I'd say I wouldn't do anything about it, because the rightful owner do still have access on that private key and I don't have the right to steal those money from him in any way. My conscience cannot handle that kind of act, I'd still rather have my own money earn from my own hard work and not an easy money that just stumbled upon in the internet.

Ideally, we tend to think that it is not right to move or use the balance on the found wallet, but I believe most of us who stated that they won't touch it would be the first one to move the balance towards their own address  (no accusation intended just my belief).  Honestly it is tempting and that is also the one of the many that is circulating in my mind.  But I believe if anyone wanted to use the balance legally, they should conform with the law that tells about lost items and how to have the right to possession them.  Doing the right legal process is the key to free us of any guilt and give us the right to own lost Bitcoin keys that the owner failed to claim.

Is that even possible? I'm thinking with all of these situations that you may accidentally find it but then if there's a chance I'd give it like a 0.000001% chance. Yeah, random zeroes.

Will probably do nothing and I think the owner has a backup as well and if by any chance that it's just a piece of paper and has flown on the streets and "accidentally" found it.

The owner might probably appear on some forum and most likely here since this is the main bitcoin forum telling this crazy incident.

If the original owner has still the key of that wallet then I believe he will take precautionary measure to safeguard his Bitcoin by moving it to another wallet.

[hannahB4]

To be candid the temptation will be there but I will inform my bitcoin mentor about what to do with the keys but I definitely know I won't hold on to what is not mine in the first place

[livingfree]

Is that even possible? I'm thinking with all of these situations that you may accidentally find it but then if there's a chance I'd give it like a 0.000001% chance. Yeah, random zeroes.

Will probably do nothing and I think the owner has a backup as well and if by any chance that it's just a piece of paper and has flown on the streets and "accidentally" found it.

The owner might probably appear on some forum and most likely here since this is the main bitcoin forum telling this crazy incident.

If the original owner has still the key of that wallet then I believe he will take precautionary measure to safeguard his Bitcoin by moving it to another wallet.

That's right and that's why even if I do nothing with it, as long as the owner has backed it up then he'll be able to just take it back.

To be candid the temptation will be there but I will inform my bitcoin mentor about what to do with the keys but I definitely know I won't hold on to what is not mine in the first place

What if that mentor of yours will tell you to do something that's beyond of your thinking and against your will? That's why it's best to just let it be as is and do nothing since it's not ours.

[Agbe]

What would you do if you managed to come across someone else's private key and it's worth an amount that most people would 'prefer not to lose', assuming you have no [idea who it belongs] to or [location clues]? Eg. Sweeping through common books' text for BIP39-based keys.

I suppose you could send a dollar's worth to a different address and hopefully they'd get the hint.

I will advice the person to take to the nearest police station or a radio or television station to announce. It. Or if there is no any other way for you took the owner and your mind to be pure as it is. You should come here and make a clear announcement so if the coins should be use for donation, people would still say it and tell what to do here.

[bitzizzix]

If it was just me, I'd let it sit for a few months or a year and if there wasn't the slightest change in face value, I'd consider it a gift from God.
and if the amount is very large I will give it to people who need it more or build orphanages and buildings that benefit many people, such as places of worship or others. Because what I mentioned was my wish from the past and I can only hope or have good intentions like that, so I consider this incident as a way or a bridge that I can indirectly do in that way.

and hopefully this Thread and my answer will come true.. Aamiin.

[Reatim]

I will wait for at least months or even a year and if that key still has no activity(eg.no deposit/withdrawal for that certain time) maybe then I will go for action and what would I do?
maybe send the amount to various institution that needs more fund to sustain their helping hands.
I am donating to some charities over the year and yes this will be a big help that I wanted to imply but has no enough funds to act for me.