How to catch a camera thief.

[goobersnuftda 0]

Here is a web page link that might interest you for tracking down stolen cameras.

This web site scans the cameras serial number written to the EXIF file in the JPG and scans the internet for posted pictures taken with that specifc camera. If your camera is ever stolen you can take any of the previous pictures you took with that camera from your hard drive (or manually enter the serial number) and go to this web site to see if the thief has posted any pictures on the interweb.

www.stolencamerafinder.com

This only applies to real cameras like Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc. NOT the camera in your phone. Twits will inevitably post pictures of their stupid cat to their Facebook page then you've caught them :)

Im not sure how far the digital image scan goes on the interweb but since it is free it is worth a try. They get their $$$ with a membership so if at some time in the future an image is discovered they will email you.

[theonlyski 3]

goobersnuftda

Twits will inevitably post pictures of their stupid cat to their Facebook page then you've caught them :)

Not quite. https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=10201464422674131

Still a nifty idea.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
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[The111 0]

theonlyski

***Twits will inevitably post pictures of their stupid cat to their Facebook page then you've caught them :)

Not quite. https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=10201464422674131

Still a nifty idea.

Yeah...
1) EXIF is not a smoking gun (anyone can change it)
2) Facebook strips EXIF (as you said). Also, programs like Photoshop usually strip EXIF when doing a standard "render for web" operation, just to save on file size I'd assume. None of the photos on my website have any EXIF remaining (if I cared enough I could change this).
3) I don't think crawling all Facebook photos is a realistic goal, as the URL's to FB photos, while publicly accessible, are not publicly indexed... or in non-technical terms, I doubt that the site referenced in the OP can do what it claims (wrt FB photos at least). It is a feasible task with "the internet" in general, but a massive one, one that would require the site to maintain its own index of every photo on the internet, and every EXIF identifier found. That is not a task for the faint at heart or the average startup. But yeah... it is a clever and intriguing idea for sure!

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[BMFin 0]

I just tried this with my cameras serial number and it didnt find any photos although there are lots of them in the interweb.

Doesnt seem to work at all.

[normiss 620]

There's also the total lack of chain of custody as well.

If I buy a camera in a pawn shop, there's no telling where that thing came from. I'd be rather upset to find a cop at my house trying to arrest me for stealing a camera I purchased used.
This little issue has always worried me about buying anything used - receiving stolen goods can be charged when you have no idea the item was stolen prior to you owning it.

Stoopid thieves!