Real-Time Stolen Item Check
Updated
A SafeOrStolen check searches its sources at the moment you run it and answers in a few seconds, so you can check an item while you're standing next to it. Not every source is equally fresh: SafeOrStolen theft reports and Ohio gun records are live, Arizona stolen-vehicle records update twice a day, and the multi-state police gun dataset is historical.
Knowing which is which tells you how much weight to give a no-match result.
How current each source is
| Source | Used for | How current |
|---|---|---|
| SafeOrStolen theft reports | Every check | Live. A report an owner files is searchable by the next person who checks that number. |
| Public web results | Every check | Searched at the moment you run the check, so new listings and posts that mention the number can show up. |
| Ohio law-enforcement records | Gun checks | Live. |
| Arizona law-enforcement stolen-vehicle records | Arizona VINs and plates | Updated twice a day. |
| Police firearm theft and loss reports (242,839 reports, 33 states and Washington, DC) | Gun checks | Historical. Filed through 2017; the years covered vary by state. Good for older thefts, not for a gun stolen last month. |
| National stolen-bicycle registry | Bike checks | Searched when you run the check. Only as current as owners keep their reports. |
| Lost/stolen carrier blacklist | Paid phone checks | Searched when you run the check. |
What "real time" can't fix
A check can only find a theft someone reported, with the number, somewhere it can search. If an owner told their local police but never wrote down the serial, there's nothing to match. If a phone was taken this morning, the owner may not have reported it yet. A fast search of an empty record is still empty. So use the result alongside what you can see: the number on the item matches the listing, the label hasn't been tampered with, and the seller can unlock or sign out of the device.
Checking at the meetup, in the moment
- Before you go, open the web app or safeorstolen.com on your phone and sign in, so you aren't creating an account in a parking lot.
- At the meetup, read the number off the item yourself: dial *#06# on a phone, look at the driver's side of the windshield for a VIN, turn a bike over for the frame serial.
- Type it in and wait for the result, a few seconds. Read the sources listed.
- If it says "reported stolen" or "possible match", don't pay. Say it's not for you and leave.
- If it says "no report found", finish your other checks, then pay.
For the full routine from listing to handover, read how to verify a used item. For everything a check searches, see how it works.
Questions people ask
Is a stolen item check done in real time?
Yes. When you run a check on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/real-time-verification), the sources are searched at that moment and the result comes back in a few seconds. How current each source is varies: SafeOrStolen theft reports and Ohio law-enforcement gun records are live, Arizona stolen-vehicle records update twice a day, and the multi-state police gun dataset is historical: filed through 2017, with the years covered varying by state.
How soon does a stolen item show up after it is reported?
It depends where the owner reported it. A theft reported on SafeOrStolen is searchable right away. An Arizona vehicle theft entered by police shows up within the twice-daily update. A theft reported only to a local police department, and nowhere public, may never appear in any check the public can run. That is why a no-match result is not proof an item is clean.
Can I check if something is stolen while I am meeting the seller?
Yes. Open safeorstolen.com on your phone, or the free web app at safeorstolen.com/app, read the serial number, IMEI or VIN off the item, and type it in. The result takes a few seconds. Do it before any money changes hands, and check the number on the item itself, not the one the seller texted you.
Why run the check again at the meetup if I already checked the listing?
Two reasons. The item in front of you may not be the one in the photo: sellers sometimes send a clean serial from another unit. And new reports keep coming in, so a check from three days ago can be out of date. Re-checking the number on the actual item takes a few seconds and uses one check.
Does a real-time check include Apple Activation Lock or carrier status?
Activation Lock and Google account locks are not searched by any SafeOrStolen check; have the seller sign out of their account in front of you. The lost/stolen carrier blacklist is searched on a paid phone check, either a $0.99 single check or one of the 20 included each month on the $10 monthly plan.