So Don over at Joblog blogged about a very cool (however idealistic) concept that caught his eye. Reward-if-found is based on the thought/theory that humans might be inherently kind and giving and don’t want to find stuff and keep it (commonly known as theft).
Basically you put a Reward-if-found sticker on your possessions – as pictured below – and if you lose something the person that finds it can simply SMS the number on the sticker to locate the you, the rightful owner of the lost possession.
Here’s a little chat Don had with Steve English who developed the system:
Don: “This can’t obviously replace insurance, ‘cos not everyone is a good person.”
Steve: “It’s not an insurance replacement, it’s relying on the goodwill of your fellow South Africans. Insurance companies are interested in this because they see their customers’ claims being reduced significantly.”
Don: “So can’t I just stick something I made myself on my possessions and hope people will phone me?”
Steve: “Of course you could, people do already (like on their luggage), but the service which is easy to use by sending one SMS or logging on to the site is a guarantee to get the original owner in contact with you, and the name suggests you’ll be rewarded, which is only fair.”
Don: “But what if someone holds my laptop ransom and demands a lot more than the reward I want to offer them?”
Steve: “RICA enforces all cellphone numbers to be attached to a specific person with all of their details. Should someone want to take a chance like that, the owner can contact us and we will go the legal route, bringing in lawyers and the Police, because we have their details and they can be found.”
So if you are interested in testing out humanity on the off chance that you lose a prizes possession, pop over to Reward-if-found for more information on how things work, what you can do and where to go to get started!
Popularity: 10% [?]
