>> SO BAD. >> GO TO TODAY.COM TO WATCH
WHATEVER IS LEFT OF THAT
EPISODE.
EPISODE. >> WE’RE GOING TO TURN TO ROSSEN
REPORTS.
REPORTS. SOMETHING NEW TO HELP YOU FIGHT
BACK AGAINST THESE.
>> JEFF ROSSEN GIVES US THE
FIRST LOOK THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
EVERY YEAR MILLIONS OF US ARE
PARTICULARIZED OR ROBBED.
AS A CHILD MY OWN HOUSE WAS HIT
BY THIEVES.
BY THIEVES. FULL VIOLATION.
FULL VIOLATION. WE STOLE LOTS OF VALUABLES WE
NEVER GOT BACK.
POLICE USUALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHO
IT BELONGS TO.
HOW COULD THEY?
BUT WHAT IF THERE WAS A WAY TO
TAG YOUR STUFF WITH A TINY DOT
THAT COULD TELL POLICE IF FOUND,
RETURN TO THIS PERSON AT THIS
PHONE NUMBER?
PHONE NUMBER? PRETTY COOL.
PRETTY COOL. WE ALL HAVE DNA.
THIS IS DNA FOR YOUR PROPERTY.
PROPERTY DNA.
PROPERTY DNA. AND THE CROOKS HAVE NO IDEA IT’S
THERE.
THERE. >> YOU’RE WATCHING BRAZEN
THIEVES IN ACTION BREAKING INTO
CARS, STEALING BICYCLES,
RANSACKING HOMES.
RANSACKING HOMES. THIS WOMAN IS SNATCHING A
WEDDING RING FROM THE CUSTOMER
SITTING NEXT TO HER AT A NAIL
SALON.
SALON. THIS CROOK ACTUALLY DOES A
CELEBRATORY DANCE AFTER MAKING
OFF WITH THE LOOT FROM AN
OFFICE.
OFFICE. ACCORDING TO THE FBI, THERE WERE
5.5 MILLION THEFTS IN 2017
ADDING UP TO $5.6 BILLION IN
STOLEN PROPERTY.
STOLEN PROPERTY. >> BUT NOW THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY
THAT CAN GET YOUR STOLEN STUFF
BACK IS CALLED PROTECT DNA.
YOU GO ONLINE AND SIGN UP.
THEY ASSIGN YOU A PERSONAL PIN
NUMBER.
NUMBER. AND THEY SEND THIS IN THE MAIL.
INSIDE THE ENVELOPE IS THIS.
IT’S CALLED AN ANTI-THEFT DNA
KIT.
KIT. IT HAS ADHESIVE GEL IN IT WITH
MICROSCOPIC DOTS.
MICROSCOPIC DOTS. IT’S BASICALLY YOUR DNA.
YOUR PIN NUMBER IS ON THE FRONT.
YOU PUT THE GEL ON ANYTHING YOU
DON’T WANT STOLEN FROM A TV IN
YOUR HOUSE TO ELECTRONICS LAYING
AROUND AND YOUR LAPTOP AND iPAD
OR EVEN JEWELRY.
YOU CAN STICK THE GEL ON
LITERALLY ANYTHING.
LITERALLY ANYTHING. >> I GET TO WORK APPLYING THE
GEL.
GEL. INSIDE THAT GEL, HUNDREDS OF
DOTS SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF
SAND WITH SPECIAL EQUIPMENT YOU
CAN SEE MY PERSONAL PIN NUMBER
RIGHT THERE.
RIGHT THERE. THAT NUMBER TELLS POLICE IT’S MY
PROPERTY.
PROPERTY. BUT DOES IT REALLY WORK?
POLICE IN FLORIDA USE IT.
TODAY CONFIDENT THEY CAN FIND
OUR STUFF ON THIS TABLE AND
TRACK IT BACK TO US.
THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S BEEN
MARKED AND WHO IT BELONGS TO.
>> I’M HERE WITH SERGEANT IAN
DOWNING.
DOWNING. WE HAVE A TABLE FULL OF STOLEN
GOODS.
GOODS. JUST TO RECONFIRM, YOU HAVE NO
IDEA WHICH ONES WE MARKED WITH
THE PROPERTY DNA AND WHICH ONES
WE DIDN’T.
WE DIDN’T. >> THAT’S CORRECT.
THE FIRST THING I’M GOING TO DO
IS CHECK THE PROPERTY FOR
IDENTIFIABLE NUMBERS AND USE
THIS UV LIGHT TO SEE IF THERE’S
ANY PROTECT DNA ON THE PROPERTY.
>> THE DNA MARKINGS SHOW UP
CLEAR AS DAY.
HE USES A SPECIAL CAMERA TO FIND
A PIN NUMBER.
>> THERE’S THE DNA.
EASY TO SEE.
I’M GOING TO TYPE IN THE NUMBER.
WHAT COMES UP IS NAME, JEFF
ROSSEN, E-MAIL ADDRESS, PHONE
NUMBER.
NUMBER. >> THAT’S MY PHONE NUMBER.
>> THIS IS YOUR iPAD.
>> YOU WOULD CALL ME UP AND SAY
WE FOUND YOUR STUFF?
>> YOU GOT IT.
>> IT’S NOT JUST MY STUFF HERE.
THIS JEWELRY BELONGS TO MY
PRODUCER, LINDSEY.
PRODUCER, LINDSEY. REMEMBER, HE HAS NO IDEA WHO IT
BELONGS TO.
BELONGS TO. HE FINDS THE PIN NUMBER, TYPES
IT INTO THE COMPUTER AND CALLS
HER.
HER. >> IS THIS LINDSEY?
>> LINDSEY GETS HER STUFF BACK
TOO.
TOO. >> HE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY ALL
17 ITEMS WE MARKED WITH THE DNA.
THE REST OF IT, THE UNMARKED
STUFF, WOULD ALMOST NEVER BE
RETURNED.
RETURNED. >> AND HERE’S THE BEST PART.
IT’S BASICALLY FREE.
THAT’S RIGHT.
THAT’S RIGHT. THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY HAS
TEAMED UP WITH PROTECT DNA TO
COVER THE COSTS.
ALL YOU PAY IS ABOUT $5 TO GET
THE KIT SHIPPED TO YOU.
EACH KIT COMES WITH ENOUGH GEL
TO MARK ABOUT 100 PERSONAL
ITEMS.
ITEMS. AND BY THE WAY, IF YOU HAVE MORE
THAN THAT, MORE THAN 100
VALUABLE ITEMS, I WANT TO BE
YOUR FRIEND.