Jewelry Counterfeits: The Age-Old Problem Just Keeps Growing Longer
The jewel theft rate has been a major crime concern in America, especially in New York City, where approximately 20 percent of all high-end designer pieces are lost or stolen on average every year. The New York Police Department estimates that the city lost more than $16 billion worth of gems in 2016 alone, and that number is sure to go up, according to a report out today from the Department of Investigation.
While there are a few known deterrents to the growing number of jewel thefts, like a better overall jewelry transaction security from people like you, and the use of electronic devices that record all jewelry transactions, what experts say continues be a major problem that’s getting harder to stop.
“New York City is like a large-scale jewel heist,” said Joe Cusimano, manager of the Jewelry Counterfeit Investigation Division at the New York Police Department. “It’s not just about one person. It’s about a lot of people.”
Cusimano has worked on the New York jewel heist investigation for 15 years now, and he says that he hasn’t seen the number drop as much as many would hope. The problem isn’t going away, but he says that while it may become “easier the more technology we have” in the jewelry industry, criminals will always find a way to break through.
Still, the New York police’s most recent report, a 12-page report on crime statistics from 2016, estimates that more than $11 billion worth of designer jewels were stolen last year. More than $1.2 billion of that was from $10,000 to $100,000 pieces, and nearly $1 billion of the thieves went after diamond rings and necklaces, where the thefts often end in the hands of thieves in China.
But while the New York police report does detail the numbers of thefts, it does so