I think the title of the thread says it all. But, I would like to get some people’s opinions as to how to mark my property. I would like to try to avoid marking things with my social security number. If something is stolen, then wouldn’t that be giving your SS number to the criminals? Likewise, I would like to avoid putting my name and address on the item. If the property is stolen, that would be like giving my name and address to the crooks that stole my property.
So, how am I supposed to go about marking my property for identification purposes?
It’s usually suggested that you engrave it with your driver’s license or state-issued ID number.
Although, generally, if it’s something that’s big enough to be considered a candidate for engraving, the thieves probably GOT IT from your address in the first place.
Definitely take sentrix’s suggestion to mind, too. You might want to take an inventory of any valuable property, engrave it with whatever you’re going to use as the identifier, then take a photo of the object AND the engraving. That way when you file the insurance claim, you have proof that the things you’re claiming were actually owned by you.
Great idea from Sentrix also - I did not see his post because I had not refreshed my internet connection yet. I am definitely taking pics, and looking into the insurance angle. I am not sure that my property is worth insuring as of now, but I am going to look into it.
Are you renting or do you own? If you own, you need a homeowner’s policy just to protect the house itself, outside any of the contents. Otherwise a fire or windfall tree could wipe you out completely. If you rent, then you just need to insure the contents…the landlord has a policy on the house itself already.
Personal insults directed against other posters are not permitted outside the BBQ Pit forum. Since you are relatively new here I am going to make this a mod note instead of a formal warning, but don’t do this again.
If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good idea to read through the Rules, Guidelines, Etiquette, Technical Issues FAQ found here:
The rule against insulting other posters is in the Guidelines and Etiquette on the SDMB section.
Now that you can keep a phone number forever, it seems like marking it with your phone number would be identifiable and allow someone to contact you if it was lost, right?
A common way of identifying someone, especially for things like medical records, is to use your last name, DOB and possibly the last 4 of the social security number.
I think in general I wouldn’t care if I got back specific items from my apartment. I mean, if my TV or my DVD player were stolen, I would want to replace them. But I’d be fine if I had to go out and buy new replacements. So for me, I can’t see the value in marking my stuff beyond recording serial numbers and enough information that I could get compensated by the insurance company.
I kind of favor an engraved email address. Anyone on the planet can drop you an email if they find your shit. How does someone in another country figure out what to do with a state issued drivers license number? I’m much more likely to lose something than have it stolen, so the engraving is more important than invisible ink. How do you know that the invisible ink has not worn off unless you are constantly checking it? and why would a normal person even look for invisible ink?
Over here in the UK - the general advice is to put your postcode on any property that is likely to be stolen. The problem is that the police have warehouses full of recovered stolen property but they have no idea whose it it is.
If the cops raid a burglar’s house and find some computers, they want to get the guy convicted, at least for handling, if not for stealing. If they can’t prove that they were stolen, they can’t prosecute.