The Canadian Police Information Centre has a website you can visit to determine if something you recently purchased was actually stolen property. Constable Sean O'Keefe, Community Liaison Officer with the Portage detachment, says they frequently get reports from people who are taken in by deals that are too good to be true. O'Keefe notes folks buy an item and unfortunately find out later that they're in possession of stolen goods, adding the RCMP would like to make sure everyone is taking some simple precautions. He says if something is being offered for sale at a price way under what the item's true value would be, that's often a red flag indicating it may have been stolen.

O'Keefe notes you can go to www.cpic-cipc.ca and enter the item's serial number or the Vehicle Identification Number to see if something has been reported stolen. He adds other things to watch out for include something being sold out of the box without the original manual or with cords missing. O'Keefe says for vehicles you always want to be sure you have all documents pertaining to proof of ownership and the vehicle's title. He notes if it appears that the serial number or VIN number has been deliberately damaged, that might also be a pretty good indication that the property was stolen.

O'Keefe adds they encourage anyone who finds that they're in possession of stolen goods to report the matter so it can be investigated. He says the RCMP can try to help you recover your funds and will endeavour to find out who actually stole the item. O'Keefe notes it's always good to remember that if a deal seems too good to be true, that usually turns out to be the case. You can find a link to the CPIC's website here.