PERG News: April 2017

| PERG News: April 2017 |

RFID IN 2020

RFID (Radio-frequency Identification) has been around since the 1970s. The first passive RFID tag was patented in 1983. But the technology is now approaching a new level of reliability, sophistication, and affordability that has experts predicting rapid expansion into some truly massive markets. Read more…

PERG TO PUBLISH DIGEST
PERG is happy to announce the upcoming publication of the Digest of Fraud and Theft Prevention Measures, a document that leverages the collective knowledge of our industry and delivers it into the hands of rental houses. Read more…

USITT AND ESTA LAUNCH INNOVA FOR ONLINE LEARNING
ESTA and USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) announce INNOVA, a platform to provide online learning to professionals in entertainment technology and design. Read more…

NAB GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Last year, PERG’s General Membership Meeting at NAB was attended by over 185 rental house owners and company principals from all over the US, Canada and beyond. Read more…

PERG RENTAL HOUSE BREAKFAST AT CINE GEAR EXPO
PERG will be hosting a breakfast, Saturday June 3rd, for rental houses and Cine Gear exhibitors. This is a unique opportunity to get in early—no lines, easy parking—and enjoy a coffee with friends on Saturday morning. Read more…

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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RFID in 2020

| PERG News: April 2017 |

With thousands of rental items to count and keep track of, most rental companies have, at some point, wondered if there is an easier way. In an ideal world, there would be no barcodes. All you would have to do is roll the carts of equipment through a portal and your rental software would instantly tell you if the order is complete. In this fantasy world, such a system could track and locate each item within your facility (asset tracking) and even warn you if an item left the facility without authorization (loss control).

RFID (Radio-frequency Identification) has been around since the 1970s. The first passive RFID tag was patented in 1983. But the technology is now approaching a new level of reliability, sophistication, and affordability that has experts predicting rapid expansion into some truly massive markets. The question is, would it make a worthwhile investment for a medium to large rental facility?

According to RFID Journal, over the next few years RFID systems will be widely deployed in huge markets like clothing retailers, factory processes, pharmaceutical and organ tracking, cargo shipping, and industrial applications where tracking vehicles and machinery assets increases efficiency and lowers costs. These applications will join those that have been around a long time—cattle tracking, animal identification, tracking high-value mobile medical equipment in hospitals, timing marathon runners, airport baggage logistics, etc. Currently passive RFID tags, bought in bulk, range from stickers that cost $0.10 to more sophisticated tags with larger antennas for $2.25 per tag or more. Mass implementation of RFID could lower the cost of tags over the coming years.

The reliability and sophistication of RFID systems is also improving. Improved antenna technology and dynamic management of the reader enable systems to detect both clear and faint reflections from tags. This helps the reader detect items that are under other items and provides consistent coverage over an entire zone.

The main motivation for rental houses to be interested in such a system is inventory control. Though RFID could in theory also make check-ins and checkouts go faster, most rental items still must be inspected for damage or tested for proper operation. So, while an RFID system would be faster and potentially more accurate than a barcode reader for counting items, it can never replace the labor-intensive process of preparing a package for rental and checking one back in afterward.

Therefore, the greater attraction for the rental house is having a better way to track equipment. Often, items get added and dropped during checkout. If something falls between the cracks, a portal RFID system would be able to tell you exactly what went out. Having the ability to look back and know exactly when an item left the building could be a great help in staying on top of assets.

One of the pitfalls with RFID, according the companies who have tested systems, is that lighting and camera equipment tends to have many little bits and pieces. Some pieces are small, and many parts are difficult to tag. For example, how can you tag media that fits into a tiny camera slot, or an item like a bridge support for a lens system where every surface on the item has a physical function that precludes the tag. In addition, readers cannot get a signal through metal cases. For many rental companies, until the system can accommodate every item in their inventory, and be counted without reopening any cases, there may not be sufficient reason to invest in the system.

An RFID system’s usefulness depends largely on how it is deployed and the procedures used. For example, the Department of Defense had implemented an integrated RFID system where RFID counts individual tagged items as they are packed into a case. Then a case-level RFID tag is printed (which looks like a baggage label used by the airlines) and adhered to the outside of the case. When a whole bunch of cases are shipped on a pallet, the case tags are read, and a pallet-level label is printed and attached to the pallet. Using a system like this, even if individual items are initially counted by hand, once they are in the case, they can be tracked via RFID.

There are a variety of types of RFID readers. Handheld units, commonly dual-use RFID/barcode readers, are currently the most common type. Instead of having to focus the reader on each barcode, the user simply waves the RFID reader over an opened case full of items, for example, and it instantly identifies every tagged item in the case.

A portal-type reader monitors tagged items, pallets, or carts of equipment, passing by the reader antenna. The portal may be placed at a doorway, hallway, or other zonal coverage area. The portal’s area must be free from interference from other tagged items.

Lastly, there are ceiling-mounted, wide-area readers that enable constant, real time item location monitoring and transition detection. This type of reader enables a clothing retailer, for example, to locate any item in their inventory in 3D space with an accuracy of about a meter. Rental companies that experimented with this type of system several years ago encountered too much RF interference for this to be reliable on a checkout floor. However, advances in technology may now solve some of these issues. The software for this type of reader is tailored to tracking all the items in the inventory, rather than checking in and out a subset of items. It is therefore not a replacement for a portal.

The RFID tags represent the lion’s share of the expense of deploying an RFID system. A passive RFID tag works by using the radio wave energy sent from the reader to generate and reflect a unique identifying radio signal back to the reader. This unique identifier can be paired to a specific item in the rental software. Tags are available in a wide variety of forms, including tags that can be sewn into fabrics, tags on thin plastic substrate, tags with their own antenna for better reading, tags that are intended to be stuck to a metal item and use the metal as their antenna. Part of the challenge of developing a reliable system is to pair the right type of tag with each type of item. Today’s tags are generally about the size of a credit card, but tags as small as ½ inch round have been developed. Tags vary in price and capability. For items like fabrics (e.g. grip rags) the simplest, least expensive type of tag has been shown to work reliably. For items that are made of metal such as C-stands and cable a more expensive type of tag must be used to maintain the reliability of the signal.

Several rental software companies support RFID. The implementation is not that different than traditional barcode readers. Software supports using both systems at the same time. Rental Works is currently working with the lighting and grip departments at NBC/Universal on a pilot program that tracks a subset of their inventory. The studio rental department reports using a portal reader to count items such as C-stands and cable with 100% accuracy, though a lot of the work is still carried out using a hand-held dual-use barcode/RFID reader. Reliability is still subject to variables. Some items need to be spread out to read reliably. Tags sometimes fail and must be replaced. The maintenance of the RFID system requires a certain amount of labor itself.

The fantasy of a tracking rental items with radio frequency tags appears to be just out of sight over the horizon, but as we move closer it will be something to watch for over the next few years.

PERG to Publish Digest

| PERG News: April 2017 |

PERG is happy to announce the upcoming publication of the Digest of Fraud and Theft Prevention Measures, a document that leverages the collective knowledge of our industry and delivers it into the hands of rental houses—with input from insurance underwriters, law enforcement, security experts and rental houses. The document is informed by real-world, industry-specific evidence collected by RENTAL GUARD from 182 theft incidents over three years. PERG developed the Digest of Fraud and Theft Prevention Measures to share information with its members that they can use to identify security weaknesses, train rental house staff, and respond in the event equipment is stolen. 

Some of the topics covered in the document include:

• Assessment of new customers, tips and techniques
• Verification of the rental application
• The “Slow Down” strategy
• Red flags
• Insurance exemptions to watch for
• A layered physical security strategy
• Alarms, camera systems, and notifications
• Protection against theft during transport
• What to do if a theft occurs
• A User Manual for RENTAL GUARD

The Digest is to be rolled out in conjunction with a fund-raising effort to help ensure the future of RENTAL GUARD as an enduring industry resource. Details are to be announced at the General Membership Meeting at NAB on April 25th and emailed to our mailing list shortly thereafter.

Did you know PERG maintains a Watch List? It could help you avoid theft-by-rental!

USITT and ESTA Launch INNOVA for Online Learning

| PERG News: April 2017 |

ESTA and USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) announce INNOVA, a platform to provide online learning to professionals in entertainment technology and design. INNOVA, launching in late April, will offer on demand training in a wide variety of disciplines and levels and will include renewal credit courses for the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) and American Institute of Architects (AIA). The possibilities for PERG to offer online content for members is wide open--training, presentations, info sessions with subject matter experts, and so on.

Both non-profits have been seeking to offer constituents educational opportunities that allow them to learn at their convenience. By joining forces on INNOVA, ESTA and USITT hope to create a central online learning hub for the industry and they invite other organizations to utilize the platform to provide educational opportunities for their constituents.

INNOVA will feature a mix of offerings including sessions created by some of the industry’s best known educators, recorded panel presentations from industry conferences, and a series of short public service features. All INNOVA content will be reviewed by groups of subject matter experts (SMEs) for technical quality and content accuracy. Please contact INNOVA, if you are interested in providing content.

The public service features will include informational presentations on each of the American National Standards developed under ESTA’s Technical Standards Program. Of interest to students will be tips on writing resumes and cover letters.

INNOVA is a win-win for the entire industry. Convenient continuing education will be available to all, trainers will receive a royalty for every download, and the income received by ESTA and USITT will be reinvested back into the programs so important to the industry. 

Visit innova.usitt.org

NAB General Membership Meeting

| PERG News: April 2017 |

Last year, PERG’s General Membership Meeting at NAB was attended by over 185 rental house owners and company principals from all over the US, Canada and beyond. The meeting will be held this year on Tuesday April 25th beginning at 4pm with an hour or so for people to enjoy refreshments and have an opportunity to chat, network and refresh ties. Starting at 5:15 pm, PERG will present a panel discussion on changing technology: changing consumer platforms, changing image capture, and what it could mean for rental houses. The panel includes Kate Wurzbacher (Here Be Dragons), Malachi Bierstein (Nokia) and others. Plus PERG has some exciting announcements, including the release of the Digest of Fraud and Theft Prevention Measures.

PLEASE JOIN US IN LAS VEGAS!

PERG General Membership Meeting

Tuesday, April 25th, 4pm-7pm

Embassy Suites Hotel, 3600 Paradise Blvd 

(just down the road from the Las Vegas Convention Center)

RSVP at: https://pergnab.eventbrite.com

PERG Rental House Breakfast at Cine Gear Expo

| PERG News: April 2017 |

PERG is hosting a breakfast for rental houses at the Paramount Theater, Saturday June 3rd. This is a unique opportunity to get onto the Paramount lot early for Cine Gear—no lines, easy parking—and enjoy a coffee with friends on Saturday morning. Last year we saw great interest in this event, but this year’s event is bigger and better than ever!

• Breakfast starts an hour before Cine Gear opens
• Lovely shaded spot outside the Paramount Theater with plenty of comfortable seating
• Your event ticket gets you guest parking in a lot close to the event and onto the lot early
• Full breakfast (we mean it this time)
• Coffee and breakfast drinks
• Participants must be pre-registered for Cine Gear and will need to present their PERG event ticket to Paramount security. Tickets go on sale in April.

PERG needs additional sponsors for this event. Contact the PERG manager to find out more about benefits for event sponsors.

PERG News: February 2017

| PERG News: February 2017 |

A YEAR OF RECOVERIES

In 2016 RENTAL GUARD, and the efforts of NYPD and others, contributed to ten equipment recoveries worth roughly $1.4 million. The story of how these recoveries were made is amazing—and informative. Read more…

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Would your company like to help sponsor one of PERG’s 2017 events. We still have spots open. Read more…

ATLANTA RENTAL HOUSE DINNER
On the evening of January 25th over seventy individuals from Atlanta rental companies and vendors attended the PERG Atlanta Rental House Dinner. Read more…

IN MEMORIAM
James Pope, co-owner of Schumacher Camera in Chicago was killed in a traffic accident over the year-end holidays. Read more…

LESSONS LEARNED: PRECAUTIONS WHEN BUYING EQUIPMENT
It has got to be a bad feeling to buy equipment and then find out the equipment you purchased is stolen gear. Since good title cannot be transferred from a thief, the purchaser is out their money. Read more…

DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THE STOLEN EQUIPMENT TRAP
In 2016 alone, a total of $8,757,818 of professional motion picture camera equipment was reported stolen. This means individuals purchasing equipment on the used market are at risk of finding themselves in possession of stolen goods. Read more…

PERG COUNCIL NEWS
On January 26^th the PERG’s Executive Council held its first strategy meeting of 2017. In the coming months, PERG is looking forward to announcing a number of new and exciting initiatives and events to take place in 2017. Read more…

Atlanta Rental House Dinner 2017

| PERG News: February 2017 |

On the evening of January 25th over seventy individuals from Atlanta rental companies and vendors attended the PERG Atlanta Rental House Dinner. The event was hosted by PC&E and sponsored in part by Citation Support (Nashville), Litegear (Los Angeles) PC&E (Atlanta), and The Camera House (Los Angeles). PERG Council Chair, Derek Hammer (Hammer Lighting & Grip) served as the MC for the evening, which featured a brief presentation, updating attendees on ongoing and proposed PERG initiatives. 

Lori Rubinstein announced a new aspect of the Behind the Scenes charity. The new program helps pay for long-term counseling for individuals who may be at risk for suicide or are fighting substance abuse. Rubinstein showed quotes from several film crew members who have received grants from Behind the Scenes when they were sick or injured, expressing their gratitude.

Sponsorship Opportunities

| PERG News: February 2017 |

Would your company like to help sponsor one of PERG’s 2017 events? We still have spots open to sponsor the PERG General Membership Meeting at NAB, the Cine Gear Rental House Breakfast at Paramount Studios, and the PERG/AICP Oktoberfest Party in New York. Learn more about PERG events.

Don’t Get Caught in the Stolen Equipment Trap

| PERG News: February 2017 |

In 2016 alone, a total of $8,757,818 of professional motion picture camera equipment was reported stolen. This means individuals purchasing equipment on the used market are at risk of finding themselves in possession of stolen goods. There have been several recent incidents where people found themselves in this position and had no choice but to return the equipment to the rightful owner at a significant personal loss. A person who tries to sell such equipment could be guilty of a felony.

RENTAL GUARD is the equipment rental community’s response to the theft epidemic. It is an online database and alert system for missing gear. Its purpose is to make it harder to sell stolen gear, and easier to catch someone doing so. It helps catch the bad guys, but other people can sometimes get caught in the trap too.

Please follow these precautions when buying equipment:

• Before purchasing equipment, get the serial numbers and check them on the RENTAL GUARD database. This is a free industry service. Also check with the equipment manufacturer.
• Know the person or company you are buying equipment from and make sure they have a return policy that allows for a full return of funds, including for gear that is not as specified or turns out to be stolen.
• If you must deal with an unknown seller, have the gear inspected by a reputable third party service center or broker. If the seller refuses to allow this or is hesitant to provide serial numbers, you should be suspicious.
• If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.

RENTAL GUARD was developed for professional rental companies. However, if an individual suffers the loss of a major piece of serial-numbered, professional equipment like a lens or camera body, he or she should report it to RENTAL GUARD immediately. This offers the best chance for recovery and forewarns potential buyers that the equipment is hot.

If you find yourself working with gear that is listed as stolen, snap a picture showing the serial number. Find the item on RENTAL GUARD and click REPORT A MATCH.

Equipment theft hurts everyone: it hurts camera crews, cinematographers, the productions, and the equipment suppliers. It raises insurance rates. It removes hard-to-replace equipment from the market. Some rare and vintage glass is simply one of a kind and totally irreplaceable.

This article is available for download.

In Memoriam: James Pope

| PERG News: February 2017 |

James Pope, co-owner of Schumacher Camera in Chicago was killed in a traffic accident over the year-end holidays. On January 15th the Chicago production community gathered at Hopleaf Bar to remember his life. Pope, age 52, was struck by a semi-tractor trailer while changing a tire on the side of the I-80 freeway. Pope is survived by his 11-year-old son Caleb.

James Pope was a highly respected member of the Chicago film community. Pope and Michael Acuna have co-owned Schumacher Camera since 2006, when Carole Schumacher, widow of founder director/DP Joe Schumacher, sold it to Pope and Acuna, both of whom were long-time Schumacher staff.

Ruth L. Ratny quoted Acuna on Reel Chicago, “James had his pulse on Chicago production, doing his best to keep a positive attitude for the city, knowing we were ambassadors for Chicago production to the industry. He worked tirelessly, around the clock, to cater to our clients needs.”

James Pope

A fund has been set up in the name of James Pope’s son, Caleb. Please visit https://www.gofundme.com/calebs-fund to make a donation.

A Year of Recoveries

| PERG News: February 2017 |

In 2016 RENTAL GUARD, and the efforts of NYPD and others, contributed to ten equipment recoveries worth roughly $1.4 million. The story of how these recoveries were made is amazing—and informative.

In 2016 RENTAL GUARD received more theft reports and more fraud alerts than any year to date: 87 theft reports, $8,758,000 in stolen gear, more than double the 2015 totals. While this is clear evidence that theft remains a major industry problem, these data also confirm that RENTAL GUARD is fulfilling its mission as the central, industry-wide, depository for theft information. We have no way of knowing the percentage of incidents reported to us, but suspect RENTAL GUARD now collects the majority of them (in the Americas).

In many of the recoveries RENTAL GUARD confirms that the equipment is in fact stolen after a potential buyer becomes suspicious. This happened in Atlanta where a local rental house was offered an ARRI Alexa Mini package (worth roughly $60,000) for the bargain basement price of $14,000. The rental house owner made inquiries with other rental houses and checked RENTAL GUARD where he found out the camera and set of six Xeen lenses had been stolen in September from DP, Tom Marvel. (In September the equipment had been rented and not returned. The thief had forged the paperwork, pretending to be an existing production company.) After suffering the theft, Marvel’s pain was doubled when his insurance denied the claim, as it was an act of fraud (see Are You Covered for Theft by Rental, August 2016). The rental house owner made the bold and principled decision to step in and get law enforcement on the case. As a result, the equipment was soon back in the hands of its rightful owner.

Tom Marvel with his recovered Alexa Mini.

In another case (the one discussed in the article titled Lessons Learned, in this issue), a Los Angeles-based buyer discovered a Mexican rental house’s identifying marks on the lens the buyer had purchased. The buyer became suspicious and called the rental house, which confirmed the equipment had been stolen. The buyer flatly refused to take the loss. He attempted to ship the lens back to the seller in Mexico. The lens would have been lost again, but at this point Det. Martin Pastor stepped in and, using his LAPD contacts (see PERG Holds Theft Summit in Los Angeles, November 2016), had the Fed Ex truck stopped before it could reach its destination. Although no arrest could be made at the time, the macro lens was recovered and returned to the rental house.

We have several reports of people buying equipment on E-bay, only to later discover via RENTAL GUARD that the equipment is stolen. In one such case, the seller reportedly was able to assuage the buyer’s concerns that the camera had been previously stolen by informing him that the insured had been paid, and therefore no one would be making a claim on the camera! Of course, what the seller should have done, upon learning the equipment was stolen, was to have the camera returned and report it to the police. Despite knowing that the Sony F55’s serial number had been tampered with, the buyer took the camera in to Sony for a software upgrade. The Sony technician noticed, checked the internal serial number, and identified the camera as one reported stolen a year earlier. The insurance company took possession of the camera from Sony and in the end the E-bay seller refunded the buyer. The buyer noted that the camera had already passed through another party’s hands before he bought it. There’s plenty of blame to go around in this scenario. E-bay is unresponsive to consumer requests to require serial numbers on listed equipment (although police tell us that E-bay has been cooperative during police investigations).

The potential market among crew members for equipment being sold very cheaply on E-bay is a concern for PERG companies. PERG is working with Local 600 to increase awareness of the issue of equipment theft and what could happen to crew if they buy or sell stolen goods.

Probably the most astounding recovery made this year was related to a famous gold theft. It was national news in September when Julio Nivelo (aka David Vargas) stepped up to an open armored truck in New York and walked off with a bucket of gold flake worth $1.6 million. Detective Pastor is quoted in the New York Times saying, “He will run as far as he can, and we will find him.”

Pastor was as good as his word, catching up with the criminal in January 2017 in Ecuador. During the investigation, Pastor discovered other items stolen by Nivelo, including a $20,000 Canon camera package. The package has now been returned to its owner.

Security camera footage of Julio Nivelo with his pot of gold.

Not withstanding the terrific work of the NYPD and RENTAL GUARD, the biggest recovery of 2016 was simply blind luck. Missouri State Highway Patrol attempted to pull over a speeding cargo van near Jefferson City. The van tried to flee, eventually crashed, and the four occupants scattered on foot. Police apprehended two of them, and found more than a $1 million of professional camera equipment in the back of the van. The equipment was from one large burglary that took place at a northern California rental house. In that theft, the burglars had managed to defeat the alarm system and cut a hole through the wall of the facility.

Another way that RENTAL GUARD plays a role is by escalating a smallish crime and revealing it to have national significance. This was the case when a Burbank rental company reported a $123,000-theft on last summer. The Burbank detective was ready to drop the case, but then became very interested when the RENTAL GUARD report prompted emails and phone calls from other companies that had previously encountered the same thief—using the same ID and credit card. He had attempted or succeeded in stealing equipment in five other instances including ones in New York and Philadelphia. Ultimately the Burbank detective was unable to take action, so Detective Pastor urged the Las Vegas Metro Police to conduct a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of the thief and recovery of all of the equipment.

A similar recovery happened in Minneapolis when RENTAL GUARD enabled the rental company to show local police their theft was tied to a theft in Texas where the same ID and credit card were used. In both the Burbank and Minneapolis cases, the vital connection was provided by a third-party rental house that read the Theft Alert from RENTAL GUARD and reached out to the theft victim with additional information.

We recognize that chasing after equipment once it has been stolen is the least effective way to deal with the theft epidemic. PERG’s focus over the past few years has been on prevention: physical security, adequately trained staff, clear understanding of the red flags for fraud, robust procedures for vetting new customers, and a willingness by management to turn down a rental and report the customer with a Questionable Customer Alert. That said, the recovery of equipment sends a direct message to equipment thieves and has a crucial cooling effect on the market for stolen goods. Recoveries are a direct benefit to equipment owners and insurance companies that pay the claims, and recoveries are a visible way of showing RENTAL GUARD’s impact.

The rental community is making a difference by working together. We have incredible support from law enforcement. ARRI, Sony, and other service centers are helping by performing due diligence. It is heartening to see some positive signs of progress. Although the end is not in sight when it comes to equipment theft, we have built a path and we now can see that it is leading to a better place.

PERG Council News

| PERG News: February 2017 |

On January 26th the PERG’s Executive Council held its first strategy meeting of 2017. In the coming months, PERG is looking forward to announcing a number of new and exciting initiatives and events to take place in 2017.

The Council applauded Paul Royalty for his fine leadership as the PERG Council Chair over the past two years. That torch has now passed to Derek Hammer (Hammer Lighting & Grip).

The PERG Council also welcomed a new council member, Stosh Durbacz, the Canadian Sales Manager of the Optical Devices Division of Fujifilm North America Corp. The council, which is primarily owners and principals of rental houses, will benefit from input from the manufacturing side. This coincides with PERG’s desire to start holding regional educational and networking events.

Tom Fletcher (Fletcher Camera and Lenses in Chicago and Cineverse) stepped down from the Council after serving for many years, first when the organization was PERA, and later when it became part of ESTA and renamed PERG.

Photo by Lawrence Daufenbach taken by
drone-mounted camera on Stage One at PC&E, Atlanta.

The PERG Executive Council:

Carly Barber, Illumination Dynamics

Terra Bliss, Panavision

Rufus Burnham, The Camera House

John Cini, High Output

Stosh Durbacz, Fujifilm

Lawrence Daufenbach, Daufenbach Camera

Derek Hammer, Hammer Lighting & Grip

Debby Miller, Midtown Video

Mardrie Mullen, Clairmont Camera

J.R. Reid, JR Lighting

Paul Royalty, Litegear

John Rule, Rule/Boston Camera

Scott Taylor, Taylor & Taylor Associates

Mark Tye, Citation Support

Mark Wofford, PC&E

Lessons Learned: Precautions When Buying Equipment

| PERG News: February 2017 |

It has got to be a bad feeling to buy equipment and then find out the equipment you purchased is stolen gear. Since good title cannot be transferred from a thief, the purchaser is out their money.

We have now heard a number of accounts like this, including one that happened in December. Some lenses were stolen down in Mexico. A local police report was filed but the items were not immediately posted on Rental Guard. A potential buyer in the US saw a lens for sale on line and checked with the manufacturer to see whether or not they showed the lens listed as stolen, which they did not. After the buyer remitted their money and received the lens, they found that there were stickers covering the engraving of the Mexican rental house.

The buyer was now suspicious and contacted the Mexican rental house and confirmed that this particular lens had in fact been stolen. The lens was ultimately returned to the company from whom it was stolen

The lessons that can be learned from this fact pattern are threefold:

1. Always know who you are buying equipment from and make sure they have a return policy that allows for a full return of funds if the merchandise is not as specified and/or it turns out to be stolen.
2. Always post stolen equipment on RENTAL GUARD immediately after a theft occurs to allow the best chance for a recovery by law enforcement and to forewarn potential buyers of the gear. Also, notify the equipment manufacturer and, in the US, ask the police to enter the serial numbers in the their national database.
3. If you must deal with an unknown seller try to have the gear inspected by a reputable third party who specializes in the sale and repair of camera equipment.

These guidelines are included in a flyer that is available for download from the PERG website.