Check a serial number
Buying a controller second-hand? Check the serial before you pay, and read it from the device itself — thieves may print fraudulent serial number stickers.
How to know a seller owns it
Ask the seller to open their account, go to My Devices, and show you the serial listed there. That is what demonstrates ownership. This page can only tell you what has been reported stolen, and a legitimate owner may not be aware of a theft for some time.
Thieves may print fraudulent serial number stickers, so check the serial the device itself reports. Plug it into a laptop over USB and open the app, or ask the seller to connect to it on their phone and show you. Either way the serial the device reports should match the one listed in their account.
What happens to a stolen controller
A controller reported stolen produces no light. It still powers up and still connects to the app, but the outputs stay dark, and that does not change hands with the device. We would rather a stolen unit be worth nothing to anybody than be worth stealing.
That is deliberately unforgiving, and it can catch out somebody who bought in good faith. It is why this page exists, and why it tells you to ask for proof rather than trusting a clear result.
If yours has been stolen
Report it from your account and the serial is flagged straight away. If you cannot get to your account, email support@tevtronix.com.