eBay Uses Online Database to Connect with Police to Keep Stolen Items Off the Popular Website

PRWeb

November 12, 2009

Dallas, TX (Vocus) Nov. 11, 2009 -- eBay is committed to keeping stolen items from being posted and sold on their popular site. The world's largest online marketplace uses LeadsOnline, the nation's largest online investigative tool, to help keep their site free of stolen property that has been listed for sale or sold on eBay.

The First Responder Service through LeadsOnline is available to police 24 hours a day and provides search results within seconds. The online system can locate seller ID information for property listed on eBay and locate seller listings and sales history for property listed on eBay.

'LeadsOnline is a strong and important connection to law enforcement for eBay,' says Paul Jones, director of retail partnerships with eBay. 'This also helps us combat any other business and stolen goods issues that arise in the marketplace.' LeadsOnline has been an official partner of eBay's for the past four years.

In addition to helping police find and recover stolen property posted on eBay, the LeadsOnline system is invaluable in helping break up larger crime rings where high-value bulk items are stolen and sold on the site. Because the system allows police to search eBay in a variety of ways, from names to seller history to serial numbers and item descriptions, stolen items are quickly uncovered.

'LeadsOnline is committed to helping eBay ensure a safe buying and selling environment for their millions of online customers,' says Dave Finley, president and CEO of LeadsOnline.

Law enforcement agencies from across the country use LeadsOnline to search eBay for stolen property and report many successes. Listed here are just a few of the many stories of success from detectives who use LeadsOnline and eBay to solve cases:

Police in Maryland recovered a stolen $3,000 Cartier watch. The watch had not even been reported stolen yet when the police recovered it on an unrelated search warrant for drugs. Police found the watch on LeadsOnline web site in about ten minutes and had all the information they needed to go forward with charges.

A large corporation in Dayton Beach, Florida, reported the theft of eight new laptop computers from an IT storage area. Police were able to determine the seller's name, who just happened to be the brother of a former employee who had knowledge and access to the storage facility where the theft occurred. An elaborate sting using the US Postal inspectors, a local eBay sales store, and the police was set up. The police purchased the computer on eBay and had it delivered to an undercover operative in California who delivered it to the Daytona Beach PD. After some search warrants and hours of questioning police obtained warrants for the arrest of the former employee and the eBay seller. Police recovered four of the stolen computers and two others that the company didn't even know were stolen.

Police in Summit County, Colorado received a tip about a $3000 mountain bike for sale on eBay. The bike was stolen along with another $2700 bike from a motor vehicle. LeadsOnline allowed police to quickly obtain a name for the seller, which led to a windfall of information. Police made three arrests and recovered $25,000 in stolen property. Police credit LeadsOnline for providing the very first lead in the case.

Police in California received second-hand information related to stolen merchandise being offered on eBay by a seller in a neighboring city. After review police confirmed the merchandise (clothing) appeared to be stolen. Using LeadsOnline police not only identified the seller but found approx $42,000 worth of prior sales of the same clothing during the previous 90 days. Police immediately secured a search warrant and after service of the warrant an additional $25,000 of clothing and cash was recovered.

In one day, police in Grinnell, Iowa used LeadsOnline to find information about a suspicious seller, obtain a search warrant, and recover $20,000 of stolen property, and make an arrest.

LeadsOnline is the nation's largest online investigative system used by more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies to recover stolen property and solve crimes. Each day, millions of items are added to the LeadsOnline database by businesses including second-hand stores, scrap metal recyclers, pawnshops, and Internet drop-off stores across all 50 states. Those records are instantly available to law enforcement agencies, meaning crimes can be solved in seconds, not months. The LeadsOnline system, compatible with the NCIC, serves as an indispensible, efficient, and money-saving resource for detectives because it provides a cross-jurisdictional, instantaneous, and accurate database that stops criminals from escaping detection by selling stolen items in another city. An official eBay partner, LeadsOnline helps prevent illegal transactions on the eBay website by giving law enforcement access

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