According to figures from a new database of stolen property, there are an incredible 3.8 million stolen gadgets floating around in the UK. 35 per cent of them are stolen phones, which net crims £50 million every year.

So, how do you know if that ‘second hand’ Nokia N80 on eBay was stolen by a hooded yoof on the Old Kent Road? Trip over to the new CheckMEND website and look up its unique IMEI number.

If you flog gadgets yourself, you should also take a look at CheckMEND’s new certificates, which you can publish to prove your gear is above board. CheckMEND expects them to become standard on most online auctions.

The onus isn’t just on sellers. The Met Police, which is supporting the scheme, warns buyers of second hand products that they could get in trouble simply for ‘handling stolen goods’. Ignorance, it emphasises, is not an excuse.

Most of the UK’s police forces, Carphone Warehouse, TFL, T-Mob and more are behind CheckMEND, which gets its entries from Joe Public, cops and insurers.

Posted: 07|6|06 at 4:31 pm. Filed under: UK News.