Stolen Property Reporting & Verification Policy

Second-hand goods change hands constantly, and a buyer usually has no way to tell whether the item in front of them was stolen last week. Catcher exists to close that gap: owners document what they own, report it if it is taken, and buyers can check a serial number before they pay.

This only works if reports are honest and listings are current. This policy is how we keep them that way.

You can file a stolen property report if you hold a Catcher account, the item is already registered to that account, and the item has been stolen from you or from someone who authorised you to act for them.

A report is filed against an existing property record, so the item details, serial number and photographs already on file carry over. You add the date, the location, a description of the circumstances and any supporting evidence images.

Your profile must be complete — including a working phone number and next-of-kin contact — before you can file. We need to be able to reach you about the report.

By submitting a stolen property report you declare that:

1. 1the item described was stolen, and was not sold, gifted, lent, pledged, repossessed or merely mislaid;
2. 2you are the owner of the item or are authorised to report on the owner's behalf;
3. 3every detail in the report is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge;
4. 4the evidence you upload is genuine and relates to this item and this incident;
5. 5you understand the report will be published publicly with the item name, serial number, date, location, description and status; and
6. 6you will update or withdraw the report promptly if the item is recovered or the position changes.

We strongly recommend attaching your police report reference to your Catcher report. It makes the listing far more credible to a buyer, and it makes any subsequent dispute much easier to resolve.

Public lookups are rate limited to approximately 120 requests every 5 minutes per visitor to prevent bulk harvesting of the database.

Every report carries a status that is shown publicly.

Reported

The report has been filed by the owner and published. It has not yet been reviewed by our team, and the claim in it is unverified.

Under Investigation

The report is being reviewed — by our team, by an owner responding to a dispute, or in connection with a law enforcement enquiry. The listing stays public while this happens.

Resolved

The matter is closed. The item was recovered, the report was withdrawn, or the report was found not to stand. The listing is updated accordingly.

A status is a description of where the report stands on Catcher. It is not a finding of fact, a legal determination, or a statement about anyone's guilt.

A listing is removed from public view if the underlying property is archived — which happens when coverage lapses beyond its 7-day grace period — or if the report is withdrawn or removed by us.

Every property with live coverage gets a public verification page at a unique address, together with a QR code that opens it. Owners use it to show that an item is documented — when selling, when passing through a checkpoint, or when an employer asks about equipment.

The page shows the item name, category, serial number, registration date, item status, plan name and status, coverage expiry, description, cover photograph and a verification ID. It deliberately shows nothing about the owner.

We may deactivate a verification page where the underlying record is disputed, archived, or found to breach our Acceptable Use Policy.

If you are about to buy something second-hand, we suggest you:

1. 1read the serial number off the item itself, not from a photograph or a screen;
2. 2search that serial number in the public stolen items database;
3. 3ask the seller for a Catcher verification page or QR code, and check the serial number matches;
4. 4check that the coverage on the verification page is live and not expired;
5. 5be cautious if the seller cannot explain how they acquired the item, or refuses to let you inspect it; and
6. 6keep a record of the transaction — a receipt, the seller's details and the date.

If you believe an item offered to you is stolen, do not buy it. Report the matter to the police, and tell us at contact@catchersecurities.com so we can update the record.

If an item is listed as stolen and you believe the listing is wrong — for example you bought the item lawfully, or the report was filed out of a private dispute — you can challenge it.

Send a dispute to contact@catchersecurities.com with “Stolen listing dispute” in the subject line, including:

• the serial number and item name as they appear in the listing;
• your full name and contact details;
• an explanation of why you say the listing is wrong;
• any evidence you can provide — a receipt, invoice, transfer agreement, chat history or police report; and
• confirmation that the information you have given is true.

We will acknowledge your dispute within five business days. We will normally move the report to Under Investigation, notify the reporting owner, and give them a reasonable period to respond with their own evidence.

Where a report is found to be false or unsupported, we remove the listing, record the outcome, and take action against the reporting account under our Acceptable Use Policy. Where it stands, we tell you and explain why.

Publishing a serial number as stolen has real consequences for whoever holds that item. A false report can block a lawful sale, cause someone to be accused of handling stolen goods, and cause serious reputational and financial harm.

If we find that a report was knowingly false or malicious, we will:

• remove the listing immediately;
• permanently close the account that filed it, without refund of any coverage purchased;
• retain the record, the evidence and the audit trail; and
• where lawfully required or permitted, disclose the account details to law enforcement or to the affected party.

Filing a knowingly false report may also expose you to civil liability for defamation and to criminal liability under Nigerian law. Catcher accepts no liability for the consequences of a report you file.

Requests from the police, a regulator or a court should be sent to contact@catchersecurities.com on official letterhead, identifying the requesting officer or authority, the specific records sought, and the legal basis for the request.

We review every request. We disclose only what we are lawfully required or permitted to disclose, and only what is proportionate to the request. Where we are legally able to, we will tell the affected user before disclosing their data.

We may preserve records relevant to an active investigation beyond our normal retention period.

So that there is no misunderstanding:

• Catcher does not verify reports before publishing them;
• Catcher does not investigate thefts, recover property, or act as an agent for any user;
• a listing is one user's unverified claim, not a finding of fact;
• the database covers only items registered by Catcher users and is not a national or complete record of stolen goods;
• Catcher gives no guarantee that reporting an item will lead to its recovery; and
• Catcher is not insurance and pays no compensation for lost, stolen or damaged property.

These limitations are reflected in the disclaimers and liability provisions of our Terms of Service.