Category Archives: CheckMEND USA

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Mobile Phones, Police, Recipero

Recipero Partners with CCA to Help Carriers Identify and Prevent Trade of Stolen Devices

Denver, CO. – January 28, 2015 – Today, Recipero announced a strategic partnership with Competitive Carriers Association to help prevent the trade and sale of stolen consumer electronics, including smartphones.

CCA-logo-225pxRecipero CheckMEND is the most complete international listing of lost and stolen mobile devices available, comprised of data from major wireless carriers and law-enforcement entities globally. Using the CheckMEND tool, CCA members will have the ability to identify lost or stolen devices and prevent these devices from entering the carrier’s buyback programs.

In addition, CCA can help eliminate trafficking in stolen mobile devices in the U.S. and abroad by submitting the respective identification numbers of all devices that have been reported as lost or stolen into Recipero’s CheckMEND database. The CheckMEND database can also be used by consumers and law-enforcement agencies to verify that a pre-owned CCA member smartphone has not been reported lost or stolen

Consumer safety is a priority for our members, and I am delighted that CCA and Recipero have formed a strategic partnership to help preserve the safety of our members’ customers

said CCA President & CEO Steven K. Berry.

Giving carriers the tools they need to identify stolen or lost devices will certainly help protect their customers and build loyalty, while at the same time proactively reduce mobile-device theft and the sale of stolen smartphones in the U.S. and abroad. The CCA/Recipero effort is a practical, common-sense business solution to solve a real problem for consumers.

Mark Harman, CEO of Recipero said:

CCA’s collaboration with Recipero marks a significant step in helping the industry address cellphone crime. The availability of CCA members lost and stolen device data alongside our existing datasets reinforces Recipero’s reputation for delivering solutions that aim to help socially whilst providing clear commercial benefits.

Continue reading Recipero Partners with CCA to Help Carriers Identify and Prevent Trade of Stolen Devices →

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Police

FCC issue clear, focused, actionable guidance to tackle phone crime

At the FCC’s Technical Advisory Committee meeting on December 4th (FCC video – view from 39 minutes) Chairman Wheeler shared what he will be asking industry to do to reduce levels of mobile device theft.

Ensure that the lock/erase/restore functionalities built into many phones today is enabled by default.

This is important progress for consumers, many of whom choose not to enable such mechanisms. In future it is hoped they will have to actively choose to disable them. Consumer choice will not be restricted – but they will be protected by default. In the area of theft from consumers, such functionality is having an effect already. Changing the default configuration will ensure more consumers are protected.

Secure the unique device identifiers by ensuring they cannot be changed.

This is absolutely crucial to both the good operation of cellular networks and in the fight against crime. The practice of reprogramming is already outlawed in several countries but enforcement is virtually impossible. Making identifiers immutable at a hardware level will make circumvention uneconomical for criminals. At the same time it will ensure that existing tools such as cross-operator blocking continue to effectively contribute to the fight against device crime.

Improve use of data to stop the resale of stolen devices.

This request has three components and is the most significant recommendation. Data sharing is already used to reduce wider crimes involving corporate theft and contract fraud that blocking or ‘kill switch’ functions do not address but  there are gaps that need to be addressed.

Some existing databases are slow and cumbersome

Industry needs to use the “best of breed” databases to share information.

Current systems have limitations at odds with the fast-paced world of wireless. It is clear that there is no technological barrier to having real-time data sharing between networks, law enforcement and traders. In Malaysia the Communications and Multimedia Commission has successfully implemented and will soon launch real-time blocking and information sharing between networks and other parties. The attentions of the FCC in this area should raise awareness with industry.

Industry must support law enforcement agencies in its actions

The Chairman sets the challenge “There must be an app for that!”  Well, there is, of course, and it can be accessed by law enforcement officers from any smartphone, tablet or web browser at www.nmpr.com. This web application brings together databases old and new in one place that officers can use very simply. The global NMPR is used by over 80,000 police officers and staff in the UK and 75 agencies in the US are currently trialing its use. We anticipate that the FCC’s attention in this area will encourage all law enforcement agencies to explore this powerful tool.

Industry must take steps to verify that a device is not stolen when it is offered to them in trade

Some industry leaders including Sprint, Gamestop and Gazelle adopted such practices up to two years ago. They recognized that simply checking whether a phone is blocked by another network is not enough. Less than 50% ¹ of phones that are not in the hands of the rightful owner are reported to networks. Those subject to insurance claims, corporate theft, supply chain leakage, contract and rental fraud account for a massive amount of thefts that do not result in network blocking or kill switch activation. These can only be addressed by both data sharing from industry and appropriate due-diligence at the point of trade.

The Chairman’s requests to industry are clear, focused and actionable. The solutions to each challenge are available and cost effective. The wireless industry and law enforcement would do well to look closely at those solutions.

 

¹ As at 8th Dec 2014 US blocked phones accounts for 48.9% of the total US stolen phones that Recipero holds records of.

Links:

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Recipero

Recipero launches CheckMEND Charter to cut cell phone crime

Recipero, the global experts in device-led data and analytics solutions, today have announced the launch of the CheckMEND Charter.

The CheckMEND Charter was created as a means of establishing an industry-led set of best practices to prevent trading of stolen consumer electronics. In addition to protecting consumers and helping to avoid confusion and frustration, Charter participants pledge to actively help law enforcement agencies combat theft and fraud related to consumer electronics.

Several of the US’s biggest consumer electronics retail, reCommerce and recycling companies are already operating in accordance with its principles, including the leading trade-in site Gazelle.

Gazelle was the first US consumer electronics trade-in site to deploy CheckMEND and continue to demonstrate their commitment to the consumer and industry through their involvement with the Charter and its creation.

Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle.

“When we first entered into a partnership with Recipero to leverage the CheckMEND tool, our goal was quite simple: to prevent thieves from benefiting from stolen consumer electronics, the new CheckMEND Charter takes this a step further, not only ensuring that Gazelle will never pay a consumer for a device that has been reported as lost or stolen, but to also ensure law enforcement agencies can more effectively combat consumer electronic device theft.

The CheckMEND Charter is a voluntary scheme, open to trade users of CheckMEND who agree to abide by its principles. In support of the Charter and its members, Recipero’s experienced CheckMEND team act as a trusted third party to help troubleshoot any issues that consumers may encounter with devices that are rejected.

Mark Harman, CEO of Recipero, commented:

“The adoption of the US Charter is something we have been working toward for several months. Our experience of the implementation of similar schemes in the UK has demonstrated that voluntary codes of practice such as this Charter have a measurable impact on mobile device related crime, results that we believe can be replicated in the US.”

More details on the requirements for Charter members is available online: www.checkmend.com/us/charter.

CheckMEND is delivered online in real-time and is a cutting-edge analytics tool used to more accurately detect lost and stolen consumer electronics. The database is the most complete listing of devices available, comprised of data from major wireless carriers and law enforcement entities globally.

The CheckMEND service assists everyone from eBay users to mega retailers and recyclers like Gazelle to avoid lost, blocked and stolen devices.

 

About Recipero

Recipero (www.recipero.com) is trusted by thousands of clients and data providers to securely aggregate, analyze and interrogate data. Forming part of millions of decision making processes and transactions every month, Recipero’s device-led data and analytics solutions are provided online, in real-time, and are used globally by law enforcement, wireless carriers, insurers, recyclers, retailers and consumers.

About Gazelle

Gazelle is the nation’s leading consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. For more information on Gazelle and its participation in the CheckMEND Charter, visit: www.gazelle.com

 

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Recipero

CheckMEND celebrates its 5th Anniversary in the U.S.

checkMEND-logo-color-highresCheckMEND is proud to be celebrating its 5th year of providing North America’s most reputable cell phone and mobile device history checking service.

The past 5 years have seen a great deal of change in global recommerce markets. This incredible growth has being driven by continual consumer demand for the latest and greatest mobile devices, which in turn has led to an ever-increasing number of second-hand devices being traded.

Environmental factors and regulatory issues have also been key drivers in how the market has developed for providers of trade-in and recycling programmes, all of which have resulted in soaring demand for CheckMEND.

CheckMEND’s commitment to the market has earned its reputation as a trusted third party and its service has become an embedded part of millions of transactions each year.

  • For retailers, recyclers, and other businesses handling second-hand devices, use of CheckMEND helps traders avoid lost, blocked and stolen devices, ensures compliance, and has a record of strong ROI.
  • For consumers using eBay, Craigslist or any other re-sale marketplace, a CheckMEND report can not only indicate a device’s current status, it also reports on other factors that can influence its value.
  • For Police and law-enforcement agencies, working with CheckMEND can cut investigation time, reduce costs, and contribute to the reduction of personal property crime.

Gazelle, a leader in consumer electronics trade-in was CheckMEND’s first U.S. customer.  Matt Rowe, VP General Counsel at Gazelle said:

“Gazelle has experienced greater than 100 percent growth in volume for the past several years. With increased volume comes an increase in attempts to trade stolen devices. CheckMEND helps protect our business from that risk and better serve our customers.”

Mark Harman, CEO of Recipero the provider of CheckMEND, commented:

“The U.S. is currently our largest and fastest-growing market. To meet this need 12 months ago we committed investment in all areas of the service particularly in hardware infrastructure, software architecture, and support systems. Our investment ensures CheckMEND is extremely well placed to meet the high-volume, high availability needs of our U.S. clients today and in the future. It is fantastic that this has already been recognised by some of the U.S.’s largest organisations”

Today CheckMEND assists everyone from eBay users to mega retailers and recyclers like GameStop and Gazelle avoid lost, blocked and stolen devices.

GameStop has more than 4,200 U.S. stores, all of which have an active smartphone trade-in program. CheckMEND is a key part of their in-store process where speed and reliability is critical.

Sean Cleland, Director of Recommerce at GameStop said:

“Integrating the Recipero CheckMEND technology with our POS systems and refurbishment facilities was simple and efficient. Their product is an integral part of our efforts to protect our customers and be in full compliance with local regulations.”

Notes for Editors

CheckMEND is provided by Recipero, a company trusted by thousands of data providers to securely aggregate, analyse and interrogate data.  Recipero’s data and analytics are used globally by law enforcement agencies, wireless carriers, insurers, recyclers, retailers and consumers.

Links:

CheckMEND: www.checkmend.com

Recipero: www.recipero.com

GameStop: www.gamestop.com

Gazelle: www.gazelle.com

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA

Sims Recycling Solutions integrates CheckMEND as they expand into Mobile Devices

sims_recyclingLogoSims Recycling Solutions, a global leader in electronics reuse and recycling, has announced it that it has expanded its U.S. asset management services to include mobile devices, such as feature phones, smartphones and tablets.

Based on the most recent numbers from International Data Corp., it’s clear that mobile devices, especially smartphones, have continued to erode personal computer sales. Worldwide PC shipments totaled only 76.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013, while worldwide smartphone shipments totaled 216.2 million units. Sims realises this technology shift is changing asset management practices, so the company has invested in the resources necessary to successfully manage the unique challenges associated with mobile devices.

As an extension of our existing asset management services, we have added new ones that simplify the task of managing mobile devices

stated Steve Skurnac, president, Sims Recycling Solutions, Americas.

By using our established global infrastructure, technical expertise and strategic partnerships, Sims is able to fully support the needs of those customers with broken, end-of-life or surplus devices. Our customers can be confident that the same secure, certified and environmentally sound procedures we use to process other electronics will be used to refurbish, remarket and recycle their mobile devices.

To protect its customers from two problems that plague the used mobile device market—stolen devices and fluctuating prices – Sims has signed an agreement with CheckMEND, the world’s largest source of information about used electronics and developed a proprietary system called Price Base.

Through its partnership with CheckMEND, Sims can perform the due diligence necessary to assure customers that the devices the company offers for resale are legitimate. Sims has integrated the CheckMEND application into its inventory management system to automatically check cellphones and tablets when they arrive at a Sims facility. Items with negative report results will be flagged and dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The Price Base system gives Sims the ability to research every available mobile device and know its current value so Sims can competitively price used devices.

For more information please visit:

CheckMEND: www.checkmend.com

Sim Recycling Solutions: www.simsrecycling.com

To view the source Sims Recycling press release please go to: http://us.simsrecycling.com/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Mobile-Device-Recycling

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Police, Recipero

CheckMEND and GameStop Partner to Strengthen Electronic Trade-in Program

CheckMEND the world’s leading due diligence service for used consumer electronics today announced it has secured an agreement with GameStop to deploy its software in all GameStop’s US stores to identify devices that are not eligible for trade.

Developed by UK-based Recipero, CheckMEND is a unique, cutting edge system that allows retailers and recyclers to proactively identify unacceptable devices and stop them from entering the supply chain.

Using data that is aggregated from over 20,000 data sources (including the FBI) CheckMEND provides access to its service to both enterprise and consumers. GameStop is the first major retailer in the US to integrate its application at point of sale. With a data warehouse containing over 150 billion records of information that is relevant to any buyer of used consumer electronics, CheckMEND is fast becoming the “go-to” data provider for this type of information.

Consumers are becoming more aware of the value that exists in their old electronics. That precipitates a need for reliable data and methods to ensure that retailers are protecting consumers. GameStop is leading the way for other retailers to follow suit.

“We are delighted that GameStop has stepped up to the forefront of consumer protection” said Adrian Portlock Founder of CheckMEND. “Our product allows GameStop to protect their customers, their associates in store and their reputable brand by deterring unwanted activity. GameStop has set the bar for other responsible retailers.” “GameStop will continue to invest in technology solutions that offer our customers the best and safest choice to buy, sell or trade video games, consoles and electronics” said Joe Gorman Vice President of Mobile at GameStop. “Working with CheckMEND, we have further enhanced our process, and we are already reaping the benefits of the service in our stores and our state of the art refurbishment center.”

About CheckMEND
CheckMEND is a service provided by Recipero Limited, a privately owned U.K. company, which has specialized since 2001 in the collection of data relating to the history of used consumer electronics (www.checkmend.com). It has grown into the biggest online provider of this type of information to both the trade and the consumer and is currently focused on expanding its operations in the USA. General information on Recipero can be found on the company’s corporate website at www.recipero.com.

About GameStop Corp.
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is the world’s largest multichannel video game retailer. GameStop’s retail network and family of brands include 6,602 company-operated stores in 15 countries worldwide and online at www.GameStop.com. The network also includes: www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer® magazine, the leading multi-platform video game publication; Spawn Labs, a streaming technology company; a digital PC game distribution platform available at www.GameStop.com/PC; and an online consumer electronics marketplace available at www.BuyMyTronics.com. General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @www.twitter.com/GameStop and find GameStop on Facebook @www.facebook.com/GameStop.

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, eBay, Mobile Phones, Police, Recipero

Gazelle – Leading USA consumer electronics reseller deploys CheckMEND to help identify fraud

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Gazelle, one of the USA’s leading high-end consumer trade-in sites, today announced it has deployed CheckMEND, a cutting-edge tool, designed to more accurately detect potentially stolen goods, including smart phones, tablets and computers.

Developed by Recipero, CheckMEND is the largest World’s largest consumer electronics background report service, the system compiles data from all major wireless carriers and law enforcement entities across the USA, providing the most complete database of devices available. Gazelle is the first consumer electronics trade-in site to deploy CheckMEND and collaborated with Recipero to tailor the product to help address the growing incidences of consumer electronics theft.

For Gazelle the introduction of CheckMEND comes at a good time with the proliferation of high-end consumer electronics theft. In fact, New York City’s police commissioner recently reported that Apple products now represent more than 40 percent of stolen property in the city and San Francisco police report that nearly half of all robberies in the city in the past year have been cell phone related.

We are dedicated to providing the best customer experience possible, and part of that promise is to protect each customer’s personal data

said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle.

We always take security very seriously. With the CheckMEND deployment, we’re taking this to a new level, committing not only to the protection of a customer’s personal data when we receive the device, but also going the extra mile to ensure that any devices we accept are being sold by the rightful owner and to discourage and prevent theft of consumer electronics.

Recipero’s CheckMEND service makes it possible to do a more thorough screening by checking a vast set of carrier and law enforcement sources for a much broader set of consumer electronics. CheckMEND is capable of comparing each inquiry against more than 150 billion records of information, including more than 50 billion items.

For more information please visit the following websites.

Visit Gazelle: www.gazelle.com

Visit CheckMEND: www.checkmend.com

Visit Recipero: www.recipero.com

 

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA

CheckMEND adds finance data to its history report service

As from today CheckMEND will be checking millions of records supplied by finance providers.

This means that if we have a record that the item you are searching has a current finance agreement outstanding on it we will let you know.

We hope this will be a useful addition to the service as many of you have told us this is a major issue and concern for you as you don’t want to buy items where there is outstanding finance.

 

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Immobilise, Recipero, Report My Loss

Telegraph Newspaper select Recipero as one of Europe’s Top 100 Technology Start-ups

Recipero is very pleased to announce that it has been chosen by the Telegraph Newspaper as one of Europe’s Top 100 Technology Start-Ups and has moved into the final round of judging.

The Telegraph has collected and filtered some of the most exciting Tech companies from all over Europe and over the past 6 months a panel of expert judges has whittled that list down to just a hundred that make up the “Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100: Class of 2011“.

Recipero is being considered in the category of “Enterprise: Security, Storage, Collaboration, Databases” along with 15 other Tech Companies that make up the 100. The overall winner, runner-up and the individual category winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on 12 April.

The “Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100” is a relatively new list, but attempts to be the most reliable, authoritative and trustworthy guide to exciting young tech companies throughout Europe. It is judged by a panel of world-class industry experts, serial entrepreneurs, investors and the like, who are themselves judged have the knowledge and experience to give an expert and realistic opinion. For more about the Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100 please go to: www.telegraph.co.uk/startup100

Ross Stewart Chairman of Recipero said:

“we are delighted that our hard work and enterprise has been recognised by the judges of this competition. As a privately funded company with no outside VC type investors it is quite hard to get noticed in the Technology sector but this should start to make people aware of what we do and how successful we are at doing it.”

For more information about the Telegraph Start-up 100 please go to: www.telegraph.co.uk/startup100

If you are interested in the methodology behind the selection please see: www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/8397541/Start-Up-100-let-judging-commence.html

For more information about Recipero please go to: www.recipero.com