Stolen camera

[lauffray]

Hi all

Feeling a bit desperate (and more than a bit silly) with this post, but I'm posting my serial number here in hopes someone spots my camera being sold somewhere.
It's a long story but I stupidly forgot my camera in a rented car last September, I thought it was lost for good when yesterday a guy turned up at my friend's camera store trying to sell it as his dad's old camera. He ran off when confronted

I have a police report and gathering more docs, in the meantime I just have pictures of it on my phone going back years as the only proof of ownership.

Leica MP .58 finder: MP-2922864
Leica 28mm Elmarit ASPH: 4078057

 

[Daniela]

Oh, wow, such a pity that you couldn't get it back yesterday!
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[mshchem]

Oh no! Hopefully it turns up unharmed.

 

[mshchem]

I wonder if the thief is an employee of the rental company?

 

[Sirius Glass]

I hope you get this problem corrected to your full satisfaction.

 

[Ian Grant]

Doesn't the camera store have CCTV ?

Ian

 

[EricTheReddish]

Hindsight is 20-20, but would using a site like Lenstag have made a difference?

 

[lauffray]

Thanks for the support everyone. Yeh the store has cctv, waiting to see what the police will do and if they'll investigate ...

 

[Guth]

Hopefully the CCTV footage comes through and proves to be the key in seeing that your gear is returned to you. Despite taking some precautions, I once had a classic car stolen from me. It is not a good feeling. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

 

[beemermark]

You will never see your camera again. I've had two stolen in the last 20 years. Living in NC the Sheriffs dept. would call me every 6 months to let me know they where still running down pawn shops (pawn shops have to submit all items bought to the Sheriff). They kept this up for 3 years. I knew the serial number and watched Ebay, Craigslist, etc; etc. My conclusion (as another poster mentioned) one the thiefs realized the camera equipment wasn't worth 2 cents on the thief exchange they threw it in the garbage. I pray you had insurance.

 

[Don_ih]

It wasn't stolen, anyway. It was found. It's a bit morally and legally squishy if the person who found it worked for the car rental company, but there'd be no way he'd be charged with anything (might get fired, though).

Offer a reward. Forward that information to the car rental place.

 

[Bazamat]

Unfortunately, police generally don't spend any resources on things like this (at least in the UK). From experience, I would recommend checking things like Facebook market place and ebay. Stolen bikes in my old area are often taken to other towns across the county, so check sales from places further out too.

 

[MattKing]

It wasn't stolen, anyway. It was found. It's a bit morally and legally squishy if the person who found it worked for the car rental company, but there'd be no way he'd be charged with anything (might get fired, though).

Offer a reward. Forward that information to the car rental place.

If someone finds it in the rental car and converts the camera to their own use, or attempts to sell it, it generally isn't so squishy, it is forbidden in most jurisdictions.
The squishyness comes if someone finds it in a garbage bin.

 

[Bazamat]

Do you have a copy of the rental car agreement? I wonder what it says in there regarding found property. If you don't, try to get a copy online or through a friend, best not to go back while police are looking into it.