Help & Guides

    Certificate Ownership Guide

    How your Cop 'Em certificate stays private, how to open it, how to pass it on when you sell, and what to do if you hold the physical certificate but not the digital ownership.

    01

    Your two codes

    Every new certificate has two different codes, with two different jobs.

    Access Code

    Your digital key to the full certificate

    K7P4-9XQM

    • Emailed to the registered owner when the certificate is issued
    • Opens the full certificate online
    • Changes every time ownership changes
    • Never printed on the certificate
    • Lost it? Request a new one; the old one stops working

    Certificate Security Code

    Proof someone holds the physical certificate

    K7P4-9XQM-2345

    • Printed on the original physical certificate
    • Never changes, whoever owns the item
    • Never shown online and never emailed
    • Only used to claim ownership
    • On its own, never enough to take ownership

    02

    Opening a certificate

    New certificates are private: the full certificate opens only with its Access Code.

    1. Find the certificate

      Enter the certificate number on the certificate lookup page, or scan its QR code or security sticker.

    2. Enter the Access Code

      From the email sent to the registered owner. Upper or lower case both work.

    3. The full certificate opens

      View it or download the PDF. It stays open in that browser tab for a while, so you are not asked again straight away.

    Lost your Access Code?

    Sign in to the account the certificate is registered to and choose "Send me a new code" on the certificate page or in My Certificates. The old code stops working immediately.

    Older certificates

    Certificates issued before Access Codes were introduced open without a code, so their links and printed copies keep working.

    03

    Selling: transferring ownership

    When you sell an item, transfer its certificate to the buyer so they become the registered owner.

    1. Start the transfer

      Go to Dashboard > My Certificates, choose Transfer ownership and enter the buyer's email address.

    2. Confirm by email

      We email you a confirmation link, valid for 24 hours. Nothing is sent to the buyer until you confirm.

    3. The buyer reviews

      The buyer receives a secure link, valid for 48 hours, to preview the certificate before deciding.

    4. The buyer accepts

      They become the registered owner and receive a new Access Code. Your code stops working and we email you to confirm.

    24 hours

    to confirm your request by email

    48 hours

    for the buyer to accept

    One at a time

    one open transfer per certificate

    Cancel any time

    until the buyer accepts

    If the buyer declines, or a link expires

    Nothing changes: the certificate stays with you and your Access Code keeps working. Remember to hand over the physical certificate with the item.

    04

    Buying: receiving a certificate

    The seller starts the transfer; you receive an email with a Review Certificate link.

    The preview shows

    • Item photos
    • Brand and model
    • Authentication result
    • Certificate ID and authentication date
    • Certificate status
    • "Physical Hologram Verified", if the item has one

    Stays hidden until you own it

    • The hologram number
    • The Certificate Security Code
    • The Access Code
    • The seller's personal details

    To accept

    Sign in, or create a free Cop 'Em account, with the email address the invitation was sent to. New account? Confirm your email, then open the Review Certificate link again.

    Ask for the physical certificate

    The printed certificate carries the Certificate Security Code, which you would need if you ever had to claim ownership.

    05

    Claiming ownership with the physical certificate

    For when you received the original certificate with the item, but the previous owner never transferred it online.

    1. Make a claim

      Sign in, open the claim page and enter the certificate number and the Certificate Security Code printed on the physical certificate.

    2. We ask the registered owner

      They have 7 days to approve or reject your claim.

    3. If they approve

      You become the registered owner and receive a new Access Code.

    4. If they reject it or do not reply

      The Cop ’Em team reviews your claim and may ask for evidence, such as photos of the item and the original certificate, and proof of purchase or payment.

    The Security Code alone is never enough

    A previous owner could have photographed the certificate before selling, so a disputed claim is only approved after we have checked extra evidence. Claims are never approved automatically, and while a claim is open the certificate cannot be transferred.

    06

    If a claim is rejected

    1. The claim is closed straight away

      The certificate can be transferred again by its owner.

    2. 30-day pause

      The same person cannot make another claim for that certificate for 30 days.

    3. New evidence?

      Contact support@copem.app before then and we can reopen the claim for review.

    4. After 30 days

      A new claim can be made.

    07

    Privacy & security

    Codes are stored scrambled

    Like passwords, so we can never show or resend an old code, only issue a new one.

    Keep your Access Code private

    Anyone who has it can open your full certificate. When you sell, use Transfer ownership rather than sharing your code.

    Every check is recorded

    Lookups, views, downloads and code attempts are logged with a scrambled IP address and device type, and kept for 12 months to detect fraud. Privacy Policy

    Emails go to your sign-in address

    Codes and ownership emails are only ever sent to the email address you sign in with.

    08

    Frequently asked questions

    Need help with a certificate?

    Our team can help with Access Codes, transfers and ownership claims.