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The Internet Lost and Found - Frequently Asked Questions

Please select your area of concern:

Entering Information
Searching
Contact / Email Questions
Password Questions
Picture Questions
Premium Services Questions
Returning Items/Pets
Reward Questions


How do I respond to an ad?
Once you see an ad on the results page that interests you, click on the icon on the left side of the ad to view the full ad. The icon can be a magnifying glass, a thumbnail picture, or a money bag. When you have the full ad in view, you will see the ads contact information near the bottom. You can elect to call the individual or email them by clicking on the letter icon. All email addresses are kept confidential to protect the individuals privacy and to reduce spam.

I have been wondering what happens to the items or animals if they are not claimed?
The outcome of such is determind by your local laws. Please contact your local law enforcement agency for further guidance.

Does The Internet Lost and Found keep an inventory of found items?
No. We are simply and online exchange for lost and found information.

Why does your website seem slow?
There are generally three reasons why this may occur. Your computer or ISP (Internet Service Provider) may be experiencing problems. Be sure to check your modem settings so that you are connected at the highest possible connection speed, or contact your ISP. The Internet itself may be experiencing a traffic jam. Try again later when the demand is less. We may be experiencing technical problems. If you are still experiencing difficulties, please contact us.

Entering Information

How do I know what category to choose?
A list of category and contents is provided when you make your selection. If you are still unsure, search the database for an item like yours and see what others have selected as the category. If you still don't find an appropriate category, suggest it to us!

Why should I use the Travel Area to input my lost information?
When you are unsure of the location of your loss, the Travel Area allows your information to be seen locally at multiple locations where your object might be found. Because the finder of an object will only search the local area (the area where the object is found), your ad will be seen. For example, if I lost my cell phone while flying between Pittsburgh and Richmond, VA, your ad will show up on searches made at Pittsburgh Airport and the Richmond Airport. So no matter where your cell phone is found, it can be easily referenced by the finder.

Would I use the Travel Area if my loss occurred in the same town?
No, this is not necessary. The Travel Area is meant to provide the same information in different vicinities.

Do I need to provide the venue when I enter my information?
All information included is ultimately helpful.

I was wondering if I incorrectly submitted my ad - how long does it take to show up after being submitted?
You ad will show up immediately. Make sure you have reached the Thank You Page when entering your information. On the thank you page you will see a hyperlink that will take you to your ad. To double check, go to the Edit Your Listing page. Your ad should appear there. If not, it is not in the database. Go back and enter it again.

What if I lost more than one pet/item, can I put both or more in one ad?
No, the database recognizes one ad only. Putting multiple item with multiple descriptions will only confuse the listing and make the ad confusing to searchers. Use one ad for each item.

When asked for my state(province) it didn't appear, just some other states(provinces) that I don't recognize?
You have filled out your ad in the wrong country. Click on the drop down at the top in the middle of the homepage to select your country. Then continue.

When I submit an ad I get an error message that says I entered a word or phrase that I didn't input. What do I do?
You are receiving an error message from our program that stops illicit language. Go back to your ad and remove any odd letters or punctuation, like $, *, etc. If it still doesn't process, you will need to close your browser, reopen and new page and start again.

I tried to click on OK and then I received a message telling me that you don't accept http on you website....
Remove any odd letters or punctuation, like $, *, etc. If it still doesn't work, you will need to start over by refreshing the page.

I signed up for the Spotlight Ad, but when I hit the homepage, I don't see my ad?
The Spotlight Ad rotates with others who have selected that option. Your ad will be seen by people visiting the homepage, but just not everybody who visits it.

I have been trying to list a found animal on your site, I have not used the site before and see I need a password to do so, I have searched the site to find out how to get a password and have been unable to find any information on how to do so. I tried GET PASSWORD, but the email came back that I couldn't be found. How do I go about getting a password?
You don't need a password before you fill out a report. A password is required at the time you fill out a report, and is used so that you may later edit or delete that same report. When you fill out a Lost/Found Item/Pet Report, you will be required to put in a password. This can be any number or letters or combination thereof that you would like. It has no bearing on any other password you may use for any purpose. After you fill out a report, if you have forgotten your password, go back to the website and click on Get Password fill in your email address, and your password will be sent to you.

When I enter my lost baggage information, is the airline notified?
No. You must call the specific airline baggage services area and alert them to your dilemma. Their number should arrive with your confirmation email, or you can search here.

When I enter my lost item/baggage information, is the taxi, transit system, or rental car company notified?
No. You must call the specific company where you lost your article and alert them to your dilemma. The number should arrive with your confirmation email, or you can search here.

When I enter my lost animal/pet information, is the local shelter notified?
No. You must call your local shelter or animal control and alert them to your dilemma. The number should arrive with your confirmation email, or you can search here.

Searching

How do I search for an item I lost on my local transit system?
  • Go to the Found Database
  • Select Advanced Search Options
  • Enter your State and type in the name of the transit system (or in some cases the acronym) in the Keyword Field
  • For a more detailed search enter in more information, such as your city, category, and date you lost you item

    How do I search for an item I lost at an airport?
  • Go to the Found Database
  • Select Advanced Search Options
  • Enter your State and type in the name of the airport or airport code in the Keyword Field
  • For a more detailed search enter in more information, your category, and date you lost you item

    I lost my item while traveling by plane between two cities. How do I search for it?
  • You will need to make 3 separate searches.
  • One for each airport, and one using the name of the airline.
  • Go to the Found Database
  • Select Advanced Search Options
  • Enter your departure State and type in the name of the airport or airport code in the Keyword Field (2) Enter your arrival State and type in the name of the airport or airport code in the Keyword Field (3) Enter the name of the airline in the Keyword Field
  • Adding additional information such as category, date, and further descriptive information like brand, color, etc. will narrow your results.
  • Alternatively, you can make two searches using just the keywords of airport and a word identifying your item, however, the number of results may be too large.

    What is the difference between searching and matching?
    Searching provides you a list of our ads based on criteria you specify at the time of the search. Matching is our proprietary email matching process that serves to match your lost ad with identical and closely comparable found ads to provide helpful and essential information for recovery.

    What is Search?
    Searching allows you to specify the types of ad profiles you want to see. You can conduct an unlimited number of searches by selecting the preferences and characteristics. Start with category and zip code. Add additional parameters such as date, brand, breed, city, etc. to narrow your results.

    How do I respond to an ad?
    Once you see an ad on the results page that interests you, click on the icon on the left side of the ad to view the full ad. The icon can be a magnifying glass, a thumbnail picture, or a money bag. When you have the full ad in view, you will see the ads contact information near the bottom. You can elect to call the individual or email them by clicking on the letter icon. All email addresses are kept confidential to protect the individuals privacy and to reduce spam.

    I followed the directions, but my results are still too large. What do I do?
    You can always use the date to pare down results. Enter the date when you lost your pet/item and view results from that date (they should be the only valid entries in your case)

    I lost my dog. Should I just search within my zip code or a larger area?
    Lost animals can literally show up anywhere. Whether by their own means or transported by car, we recommend searching a large area. To search a larger area, omit using your city or zip code in your search just use State. If you live close to another State, we would suggest searching both States. You can even omit State and search the whole country unpractable, but possible!

    I signed up for the Spotlight Ad, but when I hit the homepage, I don't see my ad?
    The Spotlight Ad rotates with others who have selected that option. Your ad will be seen by people visiting the homepage, but just not everybody who visits it.

    I can't seem to find my ad even though I submitted it?
    Your ad is submitted once you get to the Thank You page. If you didn't reach that page, your ad wasn't received. On the Thank You Page there is a hyperlink that will allow you to view your ad. If you go back and check using a broad search, make sure you are using the correct date. Ads are in order by date lost or found, not by the date submitted.

    When I searched in your database, I found a result that said, x items located. One of them looks like my dog. Does that mean my dog was found?
    Make sure you are looking in the FOUND database section of the website. This icon is labeled, Search for Found Items (Pets). If your item is in this section than someone has found your lost property or pet. Otherwise, you are looking in the database reporting lost objects, and therefore are looking at your own ad. If you are still confused, check the detail page if your own information is there, than you are looking at the ad you placed.

    How do I find my listing that was posted in the past?
    Simply use the keyword field and put in your email address or phone number. Your listing should appear. Alternatively, you can go to the Edit Your Listing page and view your listings there.

    What does the Keyword Field do?
    The Keyword Field works just like a search engine. Any word you enter, the resulting ads will have that word contained somewhere in them. It is very useful for searching when a specific location or characteristic (such as brand or breed) is known.

    Contact / Email Questions

    When I tried to contact the person in the ad, their email bounced back and their phone number was wrong. What do I do?
    The Internet Lost and Found has no further information than what is provided by the user. If the ad information is incorrect, we have no way to remedy the problem.

    I changed email addresses, and want to change my ad. What do I do?
    Send us your old email address with your new email address and requested password to cs@lostandfound.com. We will make the change.

    Do you pass on e-mail addresses to other websites?
    No. We do not share information with other websites, and we take great care in protecting your identity. Your name and address is never required to use the website. In addition, your email is hidden so that users cannot see it. Please see our privacy statement for more information.

    Does the person who contacted me know my email address?
    No. Your email address is covered on our website. However, any response issued by you will reveal your address to the recipient.

    Do you save the emails that are sent from your website?
    We do not save email sent through ILF. If you want to save email messages that you have sent and received, save copies on your own computer as you would save any other email, or copy and paste the body of your email to a document that you can save.

    I changed email addresses, and want to change my ad. What do I do?
    Send us your old email address with your new email address and requested password to cs@lostandfound.com. We will make the change.

    Password Questions

    I forgot my password. Can you tell me what it is?
    Sure. Just click on the Get Password icon. Fill in your email address, and we will send you your password. Still need help? contact us.

    How do I change my password?
    Just click on the Edit My Ad icon and make your changes there.

    I cannot get into my ad to delete. How do I get my password?
    Click on Get Password on the left on the screen and enter your email address. Your password will be sent to you.

    I have been trying to list a found animal on your site, I have not used the site before and see I need a password to do so, I have searched the site to find out how to get a password and have been unable to find any information on how to do so. I tried GET PASSWORD, but the email came back that I couldn't be found. How do I go about getting a password?
    You don't need a password before you fill out a report. A password is required at the time you fill out a report, and is used so that you may later edit or delete that same report. When you fill out a Lost/Found Item/Pet Report, you will be required to put in a password. This can be any number or letters or combination thereof that you would like. It has no bearing on any other password you may use for any purpose. After you fill out a report, if you have forgotten your password, go back to the website and click on Get Password fill in your email address, and your password will be sent to you.

    Picture Questions

    How can I change my ad's picture?
    Go to the Edit Your Listing page. Click, upload your photo. Upload your new image. Make sure you click on Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

    Can I send you the picture to upload to my ad?
    No. We will not upload your photo. Go to the Edit Your Listing page and add your picture there.

    I uploaded a picture but didn't like it, how do I put a new picture up?
    Go to the Edit Your Listing page and follow the instructions there.

    I just seem to be having trouble loading on a picture. I have tried .bmp, .tif, wbmp and yet the picture won't load. and the size is under your maximum. Any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong?
    Sometimes there is a problem with the connection. The connection can time out. Go ahead and place your ad, and come back later to upload your photo.

    Premium Services Questions

    Why does the email matching service send me information- which is not an exact match to my lost pet/item?
    Deciding what information is pertinent is a subjective exercise. Is the color orange or red? might be a good example to convey this problem. Because people will perceive the same information differently, and therefore enter it differently into the database - we ultimately leave it to the issuer of the ad to decide the validity of any potential match. Therefore, we send exact and close matches to your lost pet/item. Please see Limitations to Email Matching for more information.

    Why does the ILF charge a 1% reward fee?
    In order to make the reward amounts true to their purpose, ILF institutes the 1% fee. Basically, it is a way of preventing people from making outlandish promises for reward amounts that they have no intention of keeping. A 1% charge is less likely to affect lower reward sums than higher sums. Thus the rationale is users who sincerely want to offer a high reward figure will not mind paying the 1% fee. This also prevents those with absolutely no intention of paying a high reward from diluting the value of the other ads with high rewards.

    What are my payment options?
    ILF accepts credit cards.

    What credit cards does ILF accept?
    ILF accepts all major credit cards.

    I bought a 1-month subscription and have used only 1 week. Will I be refunded for the remaining 3 weeks?
    ILF does not pro-rate subscriptions.

    I found my lost pet/item can I get a refund?
    ILF does not issue refunds.

    What is the difference between searching and matching?
    Searching provides you a list of our ads based on criteria you specify at the time of the search. Matching is our proprietary email matching process that serves to match your lost ad with identical and closely comparable found ads to provide helpful and essential information for recovery.

    Returning Items/Pets

    I offered a reward for the recovery of my pet/item. Someone says they have it but wants me to send the reward first. What do I do?
    Never send money for any lost pet/item until it is returned and you can confirm it is yours. If the individual won't send it without a reward being paid, offer to use Escrow.com. Remember that you are not required to pay a reward. It is a voluntary incentive. If someone tries to force you to pay a reward or any money in order for you to get your lost item/pet returned, they are committing extortion, which is against the law. Contact your local law enforcement agency for further assistance.

    I believe someone has my lost pet, but they refuse to give it back. What do I do?
    Contact your local law enforcement agency for further information. Be sure to write down the AD ID # of the ad in question so that it can be reviewed.

    Reward Questions

    Why does the ILF charge a 1% reward fee?
    In order to make the reward amounts true to their purpose, ILF institutes the 1% fee. Basically, it is a way of preventing people from making outlandish promises for reward amounts that they have no intention of keeping. A 1% charge is less likely to affect lower reward sums than higher sums. Thus the rationale is users who sincerely want to offer a high reward figure will not mind paying the 1% fee. This also prevents those with absolutely no intention of paying a high reward from diluting the value of the other ads with high rewards.

    I found a pet/item and it shows a reward. I want to make sure I get paid. What do I do?
    We suggest that you use Escrow.com as an intermediary.

    How much should I offer as a reward?
    You will need to decide what you would like to offer as a reward. Check other ads to see what they offer to get a sense of where to start. Remember! Any reward amount offered by you is your responsibility. Make sure you can afford it.

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