How to report a stolen bike in Australia

1. Call or report online to police

File a theft report as soon as you can. Keep the event or reference number — insurers and recovery tools will ask for it. If you have a frame serial, give it to the officer or online form.

2. Capture the identifiers

• Frame serial / number (see our serial guide if you need to find it).
• Make, model, size, colour, and year if known.
• Distinctive stickers, aftermarket parts, damage, or custom builds.
• Purchase receipt or original ad if you still have it.

Where to find a bike frame serial number →

3. Photos and proof of ownership

Dated photos from before the theft are gold. Whole-bike shots plus a close-up of the serial area stand up later as evidence — not a hunch. If you only have old Instagram or cloud photos, pull them now.

4. Tell your insurer

If the bike is insured, open a claim with the police reference. Ask whether they work with recovery networks. Theftsight is built so insurers can watch marketplaces against written-off claims without you refreshing Gumtree at 1am.

5. Put it under active watch

Registers alone don't scan every new ad. Register the bike on Theftsight (or mark it stolen if it's already registered) so Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and eBay listings are checked against serial, image and location. You can share the record with police and insurers on the network when it's stolen — private until then.

6. Don't confront sellers alone

If you spot a listing that looks like yours, do not arrange a risky meet. Save the URL, screenshots, seller name and price, and pass them to police with your event number. Theftsight's proof pack is designed for that handoff.