Record Your Serial Numbers!
01-26-2007, 03:20 PM
#11
As this was told to me, if the customer does not have a copy of the serial number (which most often they do not), when your now stolen gear is found in the back of some car late at night after being pulled over, with no serial #'s to register on CPIC, well it makes it hard to put two and two together. This is why I record serial numbers on invoices and ensure that the customers keep their boxes. A DL# on a item when the officer pulls a car over and sees a trunk full of stereo gear in it, is instant verification on who it belongs to. While I fully understand the possibility of identity theft issues, the chance of it happening vs. getting my gear back is a simple choice. Here in BC if we have a insurance claim we have been directed by ICBC to engrave the insured DL# onto all items as well as the claim number.
01-26-2007, 07:21 PM
#12
Originally Posted by MR2NR
As this was told to me, if the customer does not have a copy of the serial number (which most often they do not), when your now stolen gear is found in the back of some car late at night after being pulled over, with no serial #'s to register on CPIC, well it makes it hard to put two and two together. This is why I record serial numbers on invoices and ensure that the customers keep their boxes. A DL# on a item when the officer pulls a car over and sees a trunk full of stereo gear in it, is instant verification on who it belongs to. While I fully understand the possibility of identity theft issues, the chance of it happening vs. getting my gear back is a simple choice. Here in BC if we have a insurance claim we have been directed by ICBC to engrave the insured DL# onto all items as well as the claim number.
I'm not going into detail on this as I'm sure their's plenty of theives that roam the boards but it's pretty common knowledge that anything that gets stolen will have the serial number (if known) put on CPIC.
Now if I pull over a car with a trunk load of gear and it seems unusual I can in most cases justify running a serial number (how many audio enthusiests here would get pissed if a pleasant officer said "I'll bet at some point you've lost some gear and I'm trying to look out for honest people like you" by running a quick check? If he does that just gives me more grounds). This I can justify as running a serial number or two takes about 5secs at the side of the road.
Now if the victim didn't record the serial number and therefor the item could not have been placed on CPIC but did place his DL# on it do you really think I can justify running that DL#, waiting for dispatch to find an address for that person, wait for dispatch to call that person (let's hope it's not in the middle of the night and let's hope they're home, and for that matter let's hope they're still alive), and then find that occurance from the police agency that took the original report if it is different than our's and they're using a different reporting system than us. In this scenario I can't justify the time it takes to do this and on top of that I would need to get confirmation from the original owner that indeed was reported stolen and then find that occurance.
I'll stress the point which is why I even started this thread in the first place (I'm not at work and I'm doing this on my own time to give every victim the best chance at getting their gear back because yes some pigs actually care) that recording your serial number is the best thing you can do. Adding your DL# to an item and not recording your serial number does little good. Recording your serial number's is all you need to do and adding your DL# to an item does no help over simply recording the serial number.
The insurance company wants you to engrave your DL# on an item they paid for? Sounds like a great way to cut down on insurance fraud. I would much rather lose $10,000 worth of audio gear than be a victim of identity theft I can tell you that.
01-26-2007, 08:57 PM
#13
^^^ You nailed the one thing that had not come up, that is insurance fraud. I have caught more than my fair share of people doing this over the years. It was a DL# that helped me catch it at the same time.
02-18-2007, 05:58 AM
#15
A better idea than a DL# would be a random series of numbers engraved somewhere that is very un-noticeable, like between the fins of a heatsink, that are kept with the serial #, as an identifying feature in case the serial # is defaced... then that information can be passed on with the serial # if you sell the equipment used.
02-22-2007, 05:35 PM
#16
0 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 11
New!!
Just heard about this on the morning news: PropertyCop.org
Propertycop is a far reaching community policing program, which involves the public, Police agencies, and retailers. This cooperative effort assists police in recovering your property and obtaining reduced insurance deductibles from participating insurance companies.
Propertycop is a far reaching community policing program, which involves the public, Police agencies, and retailers. This cooperative effort assists police in recovering your property and obtaining reduced insurance deductibles from participating insurance companies.
03-17-2007, 10:58 AM
#18
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 961
Recording numbers is fine.
A number of years ago a work friend had his rims jacked. He put out the word with us an the rims were found. The information was then passed on to the local police. Now he had pictures, sin#'s, special markings ans related paper work showing he was the rightfull owner. Mmmm we figured a slam dunk he will get them back Wrong the police said you probably sold them bla bla bla. Case closed. And if he takes them back now he gets charged because the police now have a recored of the potential issue at hand.
So your damed if you do.....This is probably an rare case yet with to days problems our gear dosn't rank up high on the need to do list.Still do what we can.
A number of years ago a work friend had his rims jacked. He put out the word with us an the rims were found. The information was then passed on to the local police. Now he had pictures, sin#'s, special markings ans related paper work showing he was the rightfull owner. Mmmm we figured a slam dunk he will get them back Wrong the police said you probably sold them bla bla bla. Case closed. And if he takes them back now he gets charged because the police now have a recored of the potential issue at hand.
So your damed if you do.....This is probably an rare case yet with to days problems our gear dosn't rank up high on the need to do list.Still do what we can.
03-18-2007, 02:57 PM
#19
Originally Posted by Hardwrkr
I pull a car over and see a trunk load of stereo gear in it. Seeing the gear with a DL# engraved on each piece does nothing for me and my grounds and no it is not instant justification on to who it belongs to. Let's say someone on this board takes your advice and puts their DL# on their items. That DL# is likely going to still be on that item when they sell it as a used item (with the chance that they'll take the time or even to remember to scratch off the number when they sell it being very low) so what happens to the legit guy that is on his way home after buying that gear?
I'm not going into detail on this as I'm sure their's plenty of theives that roam the boards but it's pretty common knowledge that anything that gets stolen will have the serial number (if known) put on CPIC.
Now if I pull over a car with a trunk load of gear and it seems unusual I can in most cases justify running a serial number (how many audio enthusiests here would get pissed if a pleasant officer said "I'll bet at some point you've lost some gear and I'm trying to look out for honest people like you" by running a quick check? If he does that just gives me more grounds). This I can justify as running a serial number or two takes about 5secs at the side of the road.
Now if the victim didn't record the serial number and therefor the item could not have been placed on CPIC but did place his DL# on it do you really think I can justify running that DL#, waiting for dispatch to find an address for that person, wait for dispatch to call that person (let's hope it's not in the middle of the night and let's hope they're home, and for that matter let's hope they're still alive), and then find that occurance from the police agency that took the original report if it is different than our's and they're using a different reporting system than us. In this scenario I can't justify the time it takes to do this and on top of that I would need to get confirmation from the original owner that indeed was reported stolen and then find that occurance.
I'll stress the point which is why I even started this thread in the first place (I'm not at work and I'm doing this on my own time to give every victim the best chance at getting their gear back because yes some pigs actually care) that recording your serial number is the best thing you can do. Adding your DL# to an item and not recording your serial number does little good. Recording your serial number's is all you need to do and adding your DL# to an item does no help over simply recording the serial number.
The insurance company wants you to engrave your DL# on an item they paid for? Sounds like a great way to cut down on insurance fraud. I would much rather lose $10,000 worth of audio gear than be a victim of identity theft I can tell you that.
I'm not going into detail on this as I'm sure their's plenty of theives that roam the boards but it's pretty common knowledge that anything that gets stolen will have the serial number (if known) put on CPIC.
Now if I pull over a car with a trunk load of gear and it seems unusual I can in most cases justify running a serial number (how many audio enthusiests here would get pissed if a pleasant officer said "I'll bet at some point you've lost some gear and I'm trying to look out for honest people like you" by running a quick check? If he does that just gives me more grounds). This I can justify as running a serial number or two takes about 5secs at the side of the road.
Now if the victim didn't record the serial number and therefor the item could not have been placed on CPIC but did place his DL# on it do you really think I can justify running that DL#, waiting for dispatch to find an address for that person, wait for dispatch to call that person (let's hope it's not in the middle of the night and let's hope they're home, and for that matter let's hope they're still alive), and then find that occurance from the police agency that took the original report if it is different than our's and they're using a different reporting system than us. In this scenario I can't justify the time it takes to do this and on top of that I would need to get confirmation from the original owner that indeed was reported stolen and then find that occurance.
I'll stress the point which is why I even started this thread in the first place (I'm not at work and I'm doing this on my own time to give every victim the best chance at getting their gear back because yes some pigs actually care) that recording your serial number is the best thing you can do. Adding your DL# to an item and not recording your serial number does little good. Recording your serial number's is all you need to do and adding your DL# to an item does no help over simply recording the serial number.
The insurance company wants you to engrave your DL# on an item they paid for? Sounds like a great way to cut down on insurance fraud. I would much rather lose $10,000 worth of audio gear than be a victim of identity theft I can tell you that.
Thanks for looking out for us!
