A person may think about going to a pawn shop to see what kinds of jewelry and electronics are available for inexpensive prices but worry that something might have been stolen and then brought to the store for cash. When it comes to pawn shops Elmhurst, residents don’t need to have this concern. Pawnbrokers are diligent in their strategies to make sure they don’t sell any so-called hot items. Some of these methods are required by Illinois state law, while others are simply performed by the store owners and employees to protect themselves and their customers.
Illinois state laws prohibit pawnbrokers from buying items that should have a serial number but on which that number has been altered, scratched off, or otherwise made illegible. This is a red flag for stolen property. Pawn shops also are required to hold all merchandise for a minimum of 10 days before putting it out for sale or sending it to a buyer. Gold jewelry, for example, often is sold to an outside buyer for its value by weight instead of being displayed in the store as a retail object. A report of stolen goods then has time to be processed with law enforcement and a search for those goods conducted. In fact, some pawnbrokers have a policy of holding items even longer than the required 10 days, as they want to be absolutely certain they are never selling property that was obtained through theft.
People who sell or take out loans against possessions can expect to have a photo taken as well as a fingerprint taken at the time of the transaction. They also must provide photo identification, typically in the form of a driver’s license. When it comes to Pawn shops Elmhurst, residents can rest assured that the stores cooperate fully with police officers when it’s possible the store has unintentionally taken in a stolen item. The policy of fingerprinting, picture-taking, and checking IDs helps detectives if anything untoward does occur. With these strategies, an organization like RJ Jewelry & Loan Company protects all customers except those who are dishonest about how they acquired a possession.
