Rental Guard is Working -- Join the Fight Against Theft

ESTA's Production Equipment Rental Group (PERG) recently announced that Rental Guard, its online missing equipment database and alert system, has helped members avoid roughly $1.5M in attempted thefts by fraud and played a role in the recovery of more than $1.4M of stolen equipment. The system has become especially valued by law enforcement who can quickly check to see if equipment they encounter in the field has been reported stolen, or determine if a local theft is part of a wider network of thefts taking place nationally or even internationally.

To make Rental Guard even more effective in the fight against the epidemic of theft plaguing the industry, PERG has announced the launch of a GoFundMe campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/rentalguard to make upgrades to the system. These will enhance the user experience, increase utility, and significantly improve the system's reporting capability, which is critical to law enforcement. PERG has already raised $5,000 towards their goal of $35,000.

Contributors of $100 or more will receive a copy of the 2017 PERG Digest of Fraud and Theft Prevention Measures. This new 35-page electronic document incorporates data collected from 192 thefts reported to Rental Guard over the last three years along with insights gained in our work with law enforcement and discussions with rental houses, insurance experts, and others. The Digest lays out measures that have been found to address potential weaknesses in company procedures and physical security and suggests ways rental houses can communicate with their customers to increase their awareness of theft.

The Digest includes such topics as assessment of new customers, the "slow down" strategy, red flags, insurance exemptions to watch for, a layered strategy for physical security, alarms/camera systems/ notifications, vehicles and generators, what to do if a theft occurs, and cautions when buying used equipment.

Contributors of $1,000 or more to the GoFundMe campaign will have their name displayed on the Rental Guard homepage.

The initial cost of developing Rental Guard and ongoing maintenance has been sponsored by Allianz, Chubb, Hiscox, One Beacon, and ProSight.

For further information on Rental Guard, visit the URL below or contact rentalguard@esta.org.