Category · Cameras & drones

Report a stolen camera or drone

Cameras, lenses and drones are portable, valuable and heavily serialised — which makes them very traceable if you've recorded the numbers. They reappear on marketplaces and camera-buy-swap groups.

The identifier that gets it back: Serial number

Body and each lens carry their own serial (on the base / mount, and in EXIF data of photos you've already taken). Drones tie a serial to the manufacturer account.

Types we watch

  • Mirrorless & DSLR
  • Lenses
  • Drone
  • Action & 360
  • Cine & video
  • Lighting & audio

How theft and resale play out

  • Lenses and bodies are split and sold separately.
  • Serials live in the EXIF of every photo you've already shot — proof you own it.
  • Buy-swap-sell groups are a common resale channel alongside the big marketplaces.

If yours is already gone

  • Report it to police and keep the event/reference number.
  • Register the camera or drone on Theftsight (or mark it stolen) with the serial number and photos.
  • Share the record with your insurer — they can work the same candidate queue.
  • If a listing matches, export the proof pack — never confront a seller alone.

National checklist: How to report a stolen item. See everything we recover.

Put your camera or drone under watch

Register it in two minutes — private by default. If it's stolen, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and eBay are scanned against it, and police and insurers on the network can see the case.