Stolen Property On-Line Registry Database Created By Swift-Find

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Tel Aviv----August 7..... Swift-Find, the world's only comprehensive on-line registry of stolen valuables, recently announced the launching of a powerful new on-line database search tool for quickly identifying and locating lost or stolen property.

Swift-Find, the leading global, on-line, real-time registry of valuables and property, designed for use by consumers, auction houses, museums, dealers, police forces, finance and insurance companies, is boosted by the inclusion of 'Image Seeker' software from LTU Technologies, a software widely used for specialized investigations by government and law enforcement agencies around the world including the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and ICE (US Immigration & Customs Enforcement.

The image-matching feature of Swift-Find "Search It" product means that auction houses, insurance, retailers, pawn brokers, police, security and other customers and dealers in the US, South America, Europe, the Middle-East and Asia can check the legitimacy of ownership of second-hand valuables and property before a sale - and so avoid unwittingly buying or selling stolen property.

"The combination of Swift-Find's professional categorization of valuable items with LTU's technology makes "Search It" an even more effective tool to identify items for auction houses, insurance companies, retailers, pawn brokers, police and security organizations that are either lost or stolen," said Ben Arbel, CEO of Swift-Find.

"Search It is just one of Swift-Find's registry databases services developed to protect buyers from purchasing stolen property and help crime victims get their stolen property back," added Arbel.

Swift-Find's global, detailed registry database of valuables and property provides a number of services including the registration of valuables on its global database, reporting valuables when lost or stolen, searching secondhand items before purchase to make sure they are not lost and stolen, and recovering stolen property.

LTU Technologies is the world leader in image search and recognition solutions. LTU's product suite includes Image-Seeker, a highly accurate automatic image analysis software that allows comparison, search and retrieval of photographic images. The software is established as a standard investigation tool for law enforcement agencies (stolen art, child exploitation, counterfeiting), in order to help them to pursue visual evidence.

Swift-Find "Search It" service allows users to check the validity of an item by simply defining key characteristics. By incorporating the image-based technology, the user enhances the search by simply uploading a picture. Users can conduct a search on the basis of the image only - particularly useful when certain details of an item are not known.

"We are extremely pleased to be a technology provider to Swift-Find. Our partnership will help deter the trade of stolen property" commented Chahab Nastar, CEO of LTU Technologies.

Among Swift-Finds clients are Galerie Koller, Watch Searcher, Seymour's, Greenslade Hunt Fine Art, R B Taylor & Sons, Gorringes Fine Art, and GOL - Geraldonline. Swift-Find is presently cooperating with INTERPOL and police and security intelligence organizations in England, France, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Japan, China, the US, Canada, Mexico, Korea, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Saudi Arabia and several other counties in Europe, North America, Africa, the Mid-East and Asia.

The former head of Scotland Yard's Art and Antique Squad Richard Ellis recently joined Swift-Find, whose services include a global, on-line searchable database of lost and stolen items. Mr. Ellis has had an extensive experience with the Metropolitan Police Force for over 30 years, where he was a member of the International and Organised Crime branch at New Scotland Yard.

Ellis is a director of Art Resolve and The Art Management Group and is an Executive member of the Council for the Prevention of Art Theft. He joins Swift-Find with responsibility for developing links with major European law enforcement agencies. In 1989 he created the Art and Antiques Squad, a position which he led until his appointment in 1999 as General Manager of Christie's Fine Art Security Services and then Managing Director of "Trace", running a database for stolen art and antiques together with Trace Magazine.

An independent art risk consultant since 2002, he lectures extensively on cultural property crime and is a member of UNESCO's panel of experts on the protection of cultural property. "Swift-Find is delighted to have someone with Richard's enthusiasm, dedication and understanding join us. We believe that someone of his calibre will be a perfect addition to our team", said Ben Arbel, Swift-Find CEO.

"Swift-Find is rapidly establishing itself as the market leader in on-line security and valuables recognition.
I am very excited at becoming involved in such a ground-breaking project", commented Richard Ellis. The Swift-Find registry database service verifies the provenance of valuables for art and antique dealers, insurance companies, museums and private individuals, and enables them to quickly check on-line and in real-time, before purchase or acquisition, if items have been reported lost or stolen. Likewise, law enforcement and security organizations may check recovered items against the comprehensive database of lost and stolen valuables to identify the original owner and return the item.

Swift-Find's comprehensive database is a result of the wide range of partnerships the company has established to date. Police forces throughout the US, Europe, Interpol, Europol, organizational, consumers, retailers and individual victims of theft, and focused databases of stolen valuables (such as WatchSearcher) all contribute to the global database of lost and stolen valuables.

Retailers, luxury brands, dealers, art and artifact museums and consumers register new and valued items on Swift-Find's global registry of valuables, in case of loss or theft. Should theft or loss of the items occur, the owner can report the item stolen on the Swift-Find stolen property and valuables database registry system in seconds, and provide the detailed information to the police and their insurance company, thus providing the best chance of recovery or replacement.

Swift-Find's on-line, exclusive security and theft valuables control database and registry concept is so powerful that Internet chat rooms are starting to buzz with excitement. One chat room recently posted the message: "attention all museums obtain a free Swift-Find subscription. Register all valuables now with Swift-Find for free. Swift-Find is the non governmental organization(NGO) responsible for creating an international database of valuable goods, properly described and photographed for crime prevention purposes."

The Internet security alert continues: "Swift-Find's core objective is that any item or artifact registered with Swift-Find, once reported stolen, cannot be resold through any legitimate auction house, pawnbroker or commercial dealer. If a Swift-Find registered item is stolen and the thief should try to sell it on, the exchange will be canceled and the police will be notified the moment it is cross-referenced through the database of stolen, lost or unaccounted-for goods. This is a free service and the more museums participate, the more effective the scheme will be as a deterrent against theft. The idea is simple; with no-one to sell to, there is little incentive to steal."

Until now, it has been nearly impossible for both professionals and laymen to differentiate between stolen and legitimate used valuables. Swift-Find searches for valuables using three key technologies: a standardized set of parameters, visual matching and unique markings.
Swift-Find’s on-line, real-time registry database also allows users to compare prices on their valuables.

Among those valuables and property registered in the Swift-Find on-line, real-time database which is updated every hour are stolen fine art, watches, cars, computers, laptops, hard drives, diamond rings, pearls, software, hardware, furs, furniture, violins, pianos, guitars, books, CD's, pendants, sculpture, letters, earrings, bracelets, maps, coins, pictures, records, tapes, cufflinks, clothes, firearms, radios, TV, ornaments, certificates, stamps, lanterns, diaries, autographs, telephones, wine bottles, pens, bikes, vehicles, animals, silverware, gold gifts, cameras, posters, signs, engravings, passports, birth certificates, clocks, antiques, boats, airplanes, pins, portraits, bags, luggage, paintings, school and university papers, manuscripts, trophies, licenses, photos, and thousands of private and business documents.