Electronics and luxury goods looted: how retailers track down thieves
On 17 October, luxury and electronics shops were looted in France. The owners are now using serial numbers and GPS tracking chips to identify stolen products.
Traceability and geolocation against looting
According to Le Figaro, a large proportion of electronic and luxury goods stolen on 17 October are equipped with identification systems that allow retailers to locate them. When the Apple Store in Lille was looted, one thief discovered that the iPhone he had just stolen displayed an alert message: "Please return the device to Apple Lille. This device has been deactivated and is being tracked. Authorities will be notified."
A video of the scene, shared on TikTok, illustrates the effectiveness of these security measures. The device proved unusable once it left the shop, rendering the theft virtually worthless to the offender.
The shops targeted on 17 October included Apple Store, Fnac Darty, as well as luxury retailers such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Galeries Lafayette. According to the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, losses amount to hundreds of millions of euros. Shop managers are currently carrying out detailed inventories to precisely document the missing items.
These serial numbers and geolocation chips represent a major asset for retailers. They not only allow products to be traced, but also enable the identification of buyers who attempt to resell items that are clearly stolen, which could lead to legal consequences for the purchasers.
Source: Le Figaro