Finders keepers: honesty is not always the best policy as UK adults keep lost or stolen items

• Over one in five (22 per cent) would use* a lost or stolen item they found, rather than return it
• A third of those who did not try to return a lost item (34 per cent) kept it because the item was valuable
• 16 per cent of people who lost or had an item stolen did not bother trying to trace it
   

More than one in five UK adults (22 per cent) have not attempted to return someone’s lost property – electing instead to keep it, sell it, throw it away or give it to a family member as a gift, according to new figures released today.

The research by Privilege home insurance revealed that a third of people who found an item and did not return it, chose to keep it because it was valuable (34 per cent). An apathetic one in five (17 per cent) also admitted that they just ignored the item and did not try to reunite it with its owner. The most popular item to use if found was an iPad or other tablet device (29 per cent).

Figure one: table showing items people are most likely to keep and use

Source: Privilege home insurance

More than half of those that had lost an item (53 per cent) said they felt it was unlikely that they would ever recover it. Some cynical Brits (16 per cent) agreed that they would not even attempt to trace their lost valuables, with often expensive watches being the least likely item for people to try and find (10 per cent). However, despite an unscrupulous few, many people (37 per cent) were actually reunited with their belongings due to the kindness of strangers. The item least likely to be recovered was jewellery (only 38 per cent).

Men are particularly opportunistic, being more than twice as likely as women to pocket others’ property (32 per cent of men vs. 13 per cent of women). Meanwhile, ladies proved themselves to be (quite literally) the fairer sex by being half as likely as their male counterparts to keep something that did not belong to them (11 per cent of women vs. 25 per cent of men).  Unfortunately, London lives up to its crime-ridden reputation with 41 per cent admitting that they had kept a valuable they had found, whereas only six per cent of people in Northern Ireland and the South West of England did this.

Jewellery was the most common item to lose or have stolen, with a quarter of all UK adults (25 per cent) being parted with their bling in the last five years. This is closely followed by the loss or theft of a wallet/purse (23 per cent) and a further 20 per cent have mislaid their mobile phone.

Figure two: table showing items common items lost or stolen

Source: Privilege home insurance

Dan Simson, head of home insurance at Privilege said: “Whilst we all hope that an honest member of the public will find our lost property and return it to us, unfortunately there is a dishonest contingent out there. This means that we should always be vigilant with our belongings, particularly if the item is valuable.”

Simson continues: “People should always take the time to insure their valuables with a policy including personal possessions cover that offers protection for these items both in and away from the home. In this way, even if the item is lost and not recovered, people will not lose out financially.”

Privilege Platinum customers receive personal possessions cover as standard.

ENDS

Notes to editors

* ‘Use’ defined as – kept item, sold item, threw item away or give it to a family member as a gift

Research conducted among 2,006 participants from 17th to 19th June 2014, weighted to nationally representative criteria

For further information please contact:

Chloe French

Media Relations Executive

chloe.french@directlinegroup.co.uk

01651 831 715

07770 640 865

Victoria Leyton/Tom Pavey-Smith

Lansons

0207 294 3602/0207 294 3606

privilege@lansons.com

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in car insurance for safe drivers. It also offers home insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Privilege and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0845 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk