Stolen Art Is Sold, Tracked Online, Says Expert

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C.--The Internet may make stolen art items easier to sell, but it also puts the thieves at greater risk of discovery, an executive with a theft tracking firm told members of the Inland Marine Underwriters Association.

David Shillingford, director of marketing and operations for the Art Loss Register in New York, made his remarks at the IMUA annual meeting here.

He said the Internet has changed the equation in art theft investigations and that Internet sites like E-Bay and Craig's List are providing an entirely new venue for fencing stolen art items.

"But you now have people who are searching the Internet and know that certain types of items belong in certain places, and they are the kind of people who are going to run it down because they either know the true ownership history or because they are scholars and want the right things to be in the right place," he explained.

Before the era of the Internet, selling a cultural item may have been more difficult, but the risk was relatively light that you would be tracked down, Mr. Shillingford said.

Cultural items are sold across the Internet, and the only difference between sites is what kind of items are usually found there, he said

"For example, there are more antiques on Craig's List, and if you have a huge volume of anything, that stolen property will likely be a part of that, no matter how small a percentage," said Mr. Shillingford.

He noted that E-Bay, the online auction Web site, has successfully argued in court that they are a facilitator and therefore cannot be expected to take responsibility for a trade.

"But that said, the strength of their marketplace largely revolves around the trust between buyer and seller," he said. "And they will take extreme steps to ensure the level of trust between buyer and seller is as high as can be," concluded Mr. Shillingford.