MISSION VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Sept. 21, 2006--College campuses full of returning students are also full of the new computers, bikes, gadgets and other valuable items students bring with them. StealitBack.com, a special service offered by online police auction site PropertyRoom.com, says college students wanting to protect such valuables can take an important precautionary step.
Specifically, students can register their personal property at StealitBack.com, which maintains what may be the only nationwide registry of lost or stolen goods.
"The first thing that students should know is that properly documenting valuable goods is a necessary step to recovering them, whether they find it through StealitBack, their local police department or the university lost and found," said Tom Lane, a former
detective and founder of StealitBack and PropertyRoom.com. "Photographs, receipts, serial numbers and police reports are all key components StealitBack uses in determining if an item can be returned."
Should an item get lost or stolen, it may wind up in one of the hundreds of police property rooms that StealitBack and its affiliate site, PropertyRoom.com, conduct auctions for. StealitBack checks all property it receives against the serial numbers in its database, and returns items when legitimate claims are made -- all free of charge.
Lane noted that a perfect StealitBack scenario happened just a few weeks ago. StealitBack was notified that two radio controlled (RC) cars, each valued at more than $1,500, had been stolen during a race. A very detailed police report the victim had provided allowed StealitBack and the police department to quickly determine that the cars were his. They were subsequently returned to him.
Items can be returned through several avenues. However, proper documentation of an item is imperative in the return process. In order for StealitBack to return an item, a user must register the items' serial number, produce proof of having the item in their possession or show proof of having purchased the item.
When StealitBack is notified that an item may have been stolen, the Web site will work with the police department to prove the authenticity of the claim. If there is substantial evidence, StealitBack will return the merchandise, free of charge.
About StealItBack.com
StealItBack.com, a feature of PropertyRoom.com.com, gives anyone the ability to search for their stolen property online, free of charge. People can recover their goods by identifying a distinguishing mark, photograph, bill of sale or the item's serial number. PropertyRoom.com boasts many success stories of owners being reunited with their lost or stolen property.
About PropertyRoom.com
PropertyRoom.com is the largest and most popular Web site that auctions legally recovered goods online. The company works with more than 700 law enforcement agencies nationwide to collect, package and sell unreturned, found and seized goods in practically every category, from consumer goods to real estate, cars and boats. Based in Mission Viejo, California, PropertyRoom.com is owned and managed by former police and law enforcement officials. More information about the company is available at about.propertyroom.com.
