A new service was launched on Thursday that allows buyers and sellers on online auction houses to check if goods they're trading have been stolen.
CheckMEND, which has been available in beta form for about three months, is linked to the databases of the police, mobile phone companies and content insurers, as well as the Immobilise National Property Register.
The idea is that a buyer can enter the serial number or international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number of the product into the service’s Web site, or send it by SMS, and receive an indication of whether the item has been listed as stolen.
In the case of a mobile phone, the site will even say what make of phone the IMEI number suggests it should be, thereby flagging up illegal reprogrammings or unblockings.
Sellers, on the other hand, can use the online service to obtain a certificate proving their wares are legitimate.
Running a check and obtaining a certificate costs £2.99 per item, and doing a simple check costs £1.50. Regular users who wish to do multiple checks online can pay £1 per item by buying credits.
Adrian Portlock, CheckMEND’s managing director, said at the launch on Thursday that the current "fast-moving environment in terms of the Internet and technology… caused criminals to take advantage of those mediums as channels to sell stolen property".
Claiming that CheckMEND was the first service of its kind in the world, Portlock said it offered users the chance to "mitigate the chances of being caught out in that way".
The service was developed in close co-operation with the Home Office, according to detective sergeant Steve Bending, the head of the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit.
Other partners include The Carphone Warehouse, the various mobile operators, the GSM Association and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
One glaring omission, however, is eBay — the largest online auction house in the UK and the world.
When asked whether CheckMEND had approached eBay as a partner, DS Bending told ZDNet UK that the police had in the past worked "very closely" with the auction site, asking it to remove phones which were advertised as blocked and working together on a "buyers’ guide".
He added that eBay’s co-operation had even led to some recent arrests, but declined to confirm whether it had been approached as a CheckMEND partner or, if it had, what the response had been.
A spokesperson for eBay told ZDNet UK on Thursday that the company "works with the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum on a regular basis, but they weren’t involved in this particular project".
It is, however, possible that such a partnership could arise in the future, as Portlock hinted that CheckMEND was "looking to further integrate [the service] into online auction sites".
Talkback
Online shopping certainly needs more security. That is why auction sites need to maintain to be the leaders in enhancing security. http://www.oltiby.com just recently introduced the phone member verification. It works!