Samuel Pfeiffer

SafeOrStolen is an online service that helps people assess whether a secondhand item may have been reported stolen before buying or selling it. Users can enter or scan an item’s identifier, including a phone IMEI, vehicle VIN or license plate, gun or tool serial number, or bicycle frame number. They can also paste links to listings on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist, or eBay for identifier extraction and analysis.

Each check searches applicable theft-report sources and public web results, then presents a result such as reported stolen, possible match, or no report found, with the sources listed. Coverage includes police gun-theft reports from 33 states and Washington, DC, live Ohio records, a national stolen-bike registry, and certain vehicle and phone records. SafeOrStolen also offers optional phone blacklist checks and AI-assisted analysis.

The service provides two free checks without a credit card. Additional checks cost $0.99 each, or users can choose a $10 monthly unlimited plan.