CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Mobile Phones

£5 billion stolen goods for sale online… watch out!

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Today we released a report stating ‘£5 billion worth of stolen goods are on sale online over the internet at any one time in the UK’. Even more shocking, every minute two items are identified as being stolen

We know this because we are the UK’s online stolen property checking service that identifies over 1 million stolen items every year.
Our CheckMEND blog will aim to keep you updated and up to speed on any online shopping crime, crime prevention topics and stolen goods statistics. We shall let you know what’s going on in the world of ‘hot goods’ and any relevant breaking news…
About us-

So that we are clear from the start, here are a few notes about us:

  • CheckMEND is a brand from Recipero Limited www.recipero.com, a company founded by entrepreneur Adrian Portlock and two other non-executive directors that had it’s official launch in July 2006
  • CheckMEND searches the UK’s largest database of stolen goods and blocked mobile phones with nearly 30 million records which can be checked by a perspective purchaser prior to purchasing an item. We can refer to it as a super database, but NOT a government run ‘stupid’ database
  • Since it’s launch CheckMEND has carried out over 10 million checks online
  • The majority of UK Police forces use the CheckMEND data to check the legitimacy of property many thousands of times a week.
  • In the UK CheckMEND is already recommended by ebay for the checking of mobile phones before purchase

To find out more about what we do watch our video online http://www.checkmend.com

Why are there so many stolen goods online?
The problem is being exacerbated by “faceless” selling on the growing range of online auction and classified sites and the new phenomenon of “Market Places” on social networks, like Facebook, eBay and specific online mobile phone shopping sites.

Plus with the backdrop of the credit crunch impacting on family purses, UK consumers are increasingly on the lookout for a bargain or are clearing out their clutter to sell online or at the local car boot sale.

For any of you bargain hunters out there always check with CheckMEND if what you are about to buy is stolen or you could find yourselves in a pickle!

The Bigger Picture
Not only can you protect yourself from the hassle of purchasing stolen goods and from the risk of prosecution for handling them… if we reduce the opportunities for thieves to sell stolen property, then surely the demand will reduce as well. Only last week the Design Council released a study that found that one in eight children aged 11 to 16 has been the victim of a “hot product” theft, in the past three years

Plus, think about it if you are selling your laptop on eBay and can prove, with a free to view certificate, that what you’re selling is legit then people would be more likely to buy from you, rather than the next person who can prove the background of the laptop they’re selling!

Stewert Mitchell from the Times wrote an interesting feature which named online auctions as ‘Unscrupulous thieves who con innocent buyers’ but authorities seem powerless. We agree but with help of checkMEND authorities are becoming increasingly powerful with more arrest being made each year.

Warning – what we have found:

We have found that on average one in ten items of second hand goods checked through CheckMEND is being identified as being reported as stolen. Since its launch in 2006, CheckMEND has recently carried out 10 million checks on items valuing over £1 billion.

The value of the goods identified as being stolen is around £100 million.
Here are some fast facts we have for you:

  • There are over £1 billion worth of insurance claims made in the UK every year from items being stolen
  • There are over 30 million items of stolen property listed on CheckMEND from the UK with an estimated value of £3 billion
  • 10% of all items of second hand goods checked through CheckMEND is identified as having been reported stolen
  • Over 10 million checks have been made through CheckMEND over the last 18 months
  • Over 600,000 checks are now made through CheckMEND every month
  • The total value of items checked over the last 18 months is over £1 billion
  • The value of the stolen goods identified as stolen is over £100 million
Lost Property, Police, Report My Loss

Medication returned thanks to reportMyloss.com

On the 10th April a member of the public reported she had left her bag containing a range of personal items including some important medication on the roof of her car.

Within 24 hours the bag was handed in and a simple search of her name from one of the cards in the bag found her report in seconds and she was quickly contacted and the bag returned intact. Another great result for reportMyloss.com

Lost Property, Police, Report My Loss

First Success for reportMyloss.com – Less than a week after going live!

Nicola Spencer of Street lost her mobile and reported it to Avon and Somerset Police via Reportmyloss.com. A few days later the phone was handed into Street Police Station and the staff member who received the handset, Liz Tredwell, decided to run a check on the site to see if it had been reported,

I have read about reportmyloss.com said Liz and thought I would run a check on the phone even though the only details I had were the make, color and place it was found. It was only trial and error, but I was amazed to see that someone had lost a similar phone nearby. I thought it might be hers so I rang her and asked her to come down to the station to identify it. She was able to identify it by the photographs which is wonderful for her.

Nicola Spencer was naturally delighted to have her phone back;

I never thought I would see it again and now it’s turned up. The most upsetting thing about losing it was the photographs and personal stuff on the phone. I am really impressed with reportmyloss.com and will tell my friends about it. Thank you.

reportMyloss.com is so powerful it is able to match any searched field of information meaning the chances of matching lost and found reports is greatly increased as shown in this first case of recovery.