Wallets with photos of children have a return rate of nearly 90%, compared to less than 20% without photos. Wallets with puppy or family photos have a return rate of over 50%. Researchers believe photographs trigger empathy in the brain. Americans lost over $21 billion to theft in 2012, and more than half of returned wallets have missing cash. Family members are responsible for over a quarter of child identity thefts in the US.
Lost wallet contents have been found to affect returns, with wallets containing a photo of a child being returned nearly 90% of the time, compared to a return rate of less than 20% if there were no photographs at all. Portfolios containing puppy photographs have a return rate of over 50%, with those containing an adult family portrait at just under 50%. Photographs in general are thought to make the owner of the wallet appear more relatable, which makes the finder less comfortable holding it. Researchers believe that viewing a photograph of a baby specifically triggers the part of the brain responsible for empathy.
Read more about the theft:
In 2012, Americans were estimated to have lost more than 21 billion US dollars (USD) to theft.
More than half of lost wallets that are returned don’t contain the same amount of cash they did before they were lost, research suggests.
More than a quarter of all child identity thefts in the United States are thought to be perpetrated by family members.
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