Without that passport, you CANNOT buy a faceplate by itself.

Dredd, that's a common misconception. Let me paint you a picture:

The very thief who steals your Kenwood might have taken it because he knew the value of it. He might very well work in a car audio shop and do "cheap installs on the side" for his friends or himself using a combination of stolen components and things ordered from the shop. He's got access to faceplates because the shop has a display model and he just provides the "kenwood passport" of the display model in order to order a new faceplate. And if ever asked why he's ordered one that way he can say that a customer asked to buy a faceplate, said he'd lost his kenwood passport, and asked if there was any way he could get one; trying to make the customer happy (the customer comes first and is always right, you know?) the "employee" ordered it the only way he could think of -- and the shop has another happy customer. Backtracing the invoice reveals that the "employee" didn't take the time to note the "customer's" contact info. The "employee" says it was busy that day or he was in a rush or whatever -- and must've missed it. There's no lead to follow, the employee didn't do anything wrong in the eyes of his employer or peers, and life continues unmolested.

That kind of plausible excuse is only usable periodically, but I'm sure that kind of thing is more common than we suspect...

Maybe I'm just cynical -- however I feel it's prudent not to underestimate the criminally-minded. Just because the crime seems "small" doesn't mean that the mind behind it is equally so...

-- Bleys


"If you would judge, understand." -- Seneca