Here in Ga. scrap metal dealers are now asking for
photo ID. in order to buy YOUR scrap.
That's 'cause here in Detroit, they're ripping the aluminum siding off other peoples' houses and ripping out all the copper wire to sell to the scrap dealers.
Because thieves are stealing the innards if air conditioners, cutting [pieces of iron fence, and in Western Pennsylvania three guys tried to cut apart and steal a railroad trestle.
Buyers of scrap metal can get into just as much hot water as a pawn shop buying stolen watches.
I don’t know about SC but I have a scrap engine that is intact but no one wants that I need to get out of a building.
Plenty of cast iron in that old 345 IH.
I heard that old engines are worth slightly more if broken down not that I believe there would be any great amount of money.
Even though the scrap dealers probably would not be arrested they would be out the purchased scrap and the money they paid the crooks.
The scrap dealers are just trying to protect themselves.
If a scrap dealer is caught frequently buying stolen property they will eventually be arrested and prosecuted.
Here in Ga. scrap metal dealers are now asking for
photo ID. in order to buy YOUR scrap.
___
That’s because criminals, many of them illegal immigrants, are ripping out electrical wiring, copper plumbing, memorial plaques, anything that can be melted down.
Scrap dealers are going to have to operate according to pawn shop rules if they don’t want to be fencing stolen goods.
“Here in Ga. scrap metal dealers are now asking for
photo ID. in order to buy YOUR scrap.”
I do not believe this is relevant to the story...the photo ID thing on scrap is because of all the copper etc being stripped from empty foreclosure properties etc and being sold for scrap. This is an attempt on the part of the scrap dealers to protect themselves from charges of buying stolen property.