I Saw This 'Gift' of Mine on the News!

I confronted my boyfriend about this, and he told me that he had one of his friends who owed him a big favor acquire the item for him.

When I mentioned that the item was stolen, my boyfriend said the company it came from has insurance, so they will be “made whole” for the cost of the item so that there is really no loser to this situation.

I understand about the insurance issue and all, but I don’t like the karma of going around with an item that I know was stolen. My best girlfriends are split on this issue, as some feel I should just keep it and others say that I should return it anonymously to the company it came from.

I think I know what you’re going to advise, but I want to hear it anyway. I need someone to break the tie and to be honest; I’m already leaning in one direction pretty much anyway.

— I Know It Was Stolen, via email

Dear I Know It Was Stolen: My advice about the item is going to likely be no surprise to you, but I’m also going to go a step further.

Starting with the item, in no way should you ever dream about keeping it. It was stolen and therefore you do not have a clean, fair and equitable title to it. You would never be able to be proud of it and you would always be looking over your shoulder to see if anyone would notice that it’s stolen.

Returning it anonymously may be a good idea, but you want to be sure it gets back to the rightful owners. You may be able to mail or drop it off to a local police department if you’re brave enough to do that.

The extra part of my advice is to consider the type of individuals you are both dating and hanging out with. This type of behavior is both illegal and immoral, and at some point, if you continue to associate with people who engage in this type of behavior, you might be caught up in something illegal that impacts your life and your freedom someday. This could be the warning sign you need to chart a new direction for your life.