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How To Protect Your
Valuables From Theft
One of the most effective
tools you can use to retrieve
property stolen from your home is a
simple electric engraving
pen. With this pen you can inscribe your name
or a number on
the most valuable items in and around your home. Before
you
do this, check with local police to see which they prefer
you
use - your name, driver's license, social security number
or
whatever.
Engraving your name or number on your valuables helps
deter
robbery in two ways: First, you discourage the thief
since
marked property is much more difficult to sell. Second, if
a
thief does steal your property, it is much easier to catch
and
prosecute him when he is discovered with goods in his
possession that
are easily identifiable as stolen.
Billions of dollars worth of
property stolen each year is
never returned to the owners. Why? Because
without some
identifying mark or number, the police are unable
to
verify stolen property, or trace the owner. More than
half the
property recovered by the police is eventually
auctioned off or
destroyed because the goods have no
identifying
characteristics.
In some cities, local law enforcement agencies
will lend
you and your neighbors an engraving pen free. In
these
communities, you may borrow an engraving tool for
several
days. If this service is not available to you, you
can
purchase an inexpensive electric pen from your local
hardware
store for as little as $10 to $15. This small
investment could be worth
a great deal more to you at a
later date.
Items already marked
with a serial number - such as
cars, TV's, cameras, typewriters,
radios, stereos,
tape decks, appliances, etc., may not have to
be
engraved with your name or personal number. Check
with local
police first. If they recommend you
inscribe your identifying mark on
serialized items,
inscribe this information just above the
manufacturer's
serial number.
On unserialized property, inscribe
your name or number
on the upper right corner of the rear or backside
of
each item. Should you decide to sell or discard the
item at a
later date, you should invalidate your
number by using the engraving
pen or any sharp tool
to draw a single line through your name or
number
from the upper left to the lower right hand corner.
Do not
deface your name or number in any other way.
It is also advisable, when
selling "marked" property,
to write out a simple receipt and specifying
on it
that you were the previous owner and indicate the
name or
number used by you. This could prevent
legal hassles for the new owner
at a later time.
To protect smaller valuable items such as
jewelry,
silverware, etc., it is wise to take a photo of
each item.
A Simple, instant-type camera photo is
sufficient.
After you
have marked and/or photographed all your
valuables, make a detailed
list of these items and
keep it in a safe place. When new items are
acquired,
add them to your list. As other valuables are sold
or
discarded, cross them off the list.
If you use credit cards, they
should also be recorded
on your list. Either copy your account number
from
each card and expiration date, or you can have
photo copies
made for your records.