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Things a Burglar Won't Tell You

In summary, there are 13 things a burglar won't tell you, including their tactics for selecting targets, their methods for breaking into homes, and their preferences for targeting certain neighborhoods and homes. It is important to remember to always secure your home, even if it is just for a short time, and to be cautious about sharing personal information on social media. It is also recommended to keep valuables in a secure safe and to invest in a good security system.
esavvymom
Staff member
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From http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/13-things-a-burglar-wont-tell-you/article156709.html

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom—and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door—understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)


**And 8 more things:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.

8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.




Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.
 
Thanks for sharing the good advice of those who are in the know.
 
wow i think just learned alot! for starters:
1. moving my 'hidden money' that was in my sock drawer!
2. stop announcing things on facebook, or better yet remove my personal contact info from my page!
3. start answering my door! (i usually just let people knock if i see i don't' know them!, i would hate to have a burglar walk in on me!!)
4. i will start keeping our second floor windows locked and bolted
5. keep blinds closed! seems paranoid maybe but we have a nice entertainment system you can see from our front window
6. i think im getting a huge dog...or atleast a tape recording of a loud dog!!

thanks for the hints!!
 
Jessica, rapists knock too. So you don't necessarily need to open your door to every stranger that knocks! ;) Just be ready to call 911 if they start trying to kick in the door. Most agencies have a policy that they are REQUIRED to dispatch an officer on a 911 hang up. I wouldn't recommend hanging up, stay on the line & give as MUCH info as you can including a physical description of the intruder ... but if for some reason you are unable to stay on the line, chances are that a police officer will be there shortly. (I'm a retired Police Dispatcher.)

And if you find yourself facing an intruder, defend yourself. With anything and everything you can get your hands on. Even if it's the lamp from the table, throw it at them. Never EVER let them take you to a 2nd crime scene. Your odds of survival are much better at crime scene #1. And if, for some reason, you don't survive, the criminal is not prepared to leave ZERO evidence. So you've helped the investigators. If you allow the criminal to take you to a 2nd location, they have more privacy and more time to do what they are intending to do which is NOT what you want!!!
 
pc_jessica said:
6. i think im getting a huge dog...or atleast a tape recording of a loud dog!!

thanks for the hints!!

There's an old joke about two guys out camping when a bear comes into camp. The first guys stops to put on a pair of running shoes. The second guy says, "What are you doing? You'll never outrun that bear!" The first guy shrugs and says, "I only have to outrun you!"

You just need to outrun your neighbor by making your house look less attractive.

Retired Chicago homicide detective, J.J. Bittenbinder, says get a dog dish. A BIG dog dish. Have a name like Killer painted on the dog dish, and leave it on the back porch with water in it. (Follow the link for more tips on becoming a "Tough Target.")
 
Wow, scary but helpful stuff. We are in a rental house and have french doors - we don't have a key for that lock. Is it possible to get one? My mother in law can't get up the front steps to the front door or manuveur in the mud room entrance with her walker. We live in a seculded, not too wealthy neighborhood but I would still like to lock our door!
 
Sheila said:
Jessica, rapists knock too. So you don't necessarily need to open your door to every stranger that knocks! ;) Just be ready to call 911 if they start trying to kick in the door. Most agencies have a policy that they are REQUIRED to dispatch an officer on a 911 hang up. I wouldn't recommend hanging up, stay on the line & give as MUCH info as you can including a physical description of the intruder ... but if for some reason you are unable to stay on the line, chances are that a police officer will be there shortly. (I'm a retired Police Dispatcher.)

And if you find yourself facing an intruder, defend yourself. With anything and everything you can get your hands on. Even if it's the lamp from the table, throw it at them. Never EVER let them take you to a 2nd crime scene. Your odds of survival are much better at crime scene #1. And if, for some reason, you don't survive, the criminal is not prepared to leave ZERO evidence. So you've helped the investigators. If you allow the criminal to take you to a 2nd location, they have more privacy and more time to do what they are intending to do which is NOT what you want!!!

I'd like to think I can rely on the police arriving in a timely manner, but they just cut the budget to the police, are doing furlough days and it was all over the news yesterday that because of budget cuts it took an ambulance over an hour to arrive for someone in medical distresss (to be fair a paramedic was on the scene within 10 minutes, but the ambulance couldn't get there for an hour!)
 
Great tips - thanks!

One time back when I was a teenager I was home sick by myself from school for the day. Someone rang our doorbell, I of course was not going to answer it. I then heard a loud sound like a drill!! I turned the stereo on really loud and they left! I know they were going to try to break in and rob us! I think it was a blessing from God I was home that day!

We just had some people go through our neighborhood trying to get us to switch to their company for heating gas suppliers. The guy who came to my door first said, "Oh, you have a nice big dog." I didn't say anything about it, just asked him what he needed. I told him I didn't have time to talk about I had to leave for an appointment - then thought that was really stupid! I locked all the windows and doors and left the stereo on. A couple of days later several houses on my street were broken in to during the middle of the night - they probably didn't have dogs! I called the police and told them to check this lead since before they can come around the neighborhood they have to get permission and the company would know the workers names. I told the police I just didn't get a good vibe about this guy. I told them I even drove around the neighborhood to see if there were other people from the company going around, and there was - but they could have been working together to rob people.
 
Another thing to watch out for is boxes that you throw away. Turn them inside out and tape them shut. Thieves can dig through your trash and see the box for the new tv/computer/game system you just bought.
 
  • #10
pampchefrhondab said:
Great tips - thanks!

One time back when I was a teenager I was home sick by myself from school for the day. Someone rang our doorbell, I of course was not going to answer it. I then heard a loud sound like a drill!! I turned the stereo on really loud and they left! I know they were going to try to break in and rob us! I think it was a blessing from God I was home that day!


My dad is a travelling instructor and he says that he has learned not to ignore his bladder urges. God seems to protect him from crashes by getting him to have a restroom break. Too many times he has been leaving after said restroom break to see a crash scene right after the exit for him to believe it is anything but.
 
  • #11
wadesgirl said:
Another thing to watch out for is boxes that you throw away. Turn them inside out and tape them shut. Thieves can dig through your trash and see the box for the new tv/computer/game system you just bought.

I just leave mine at the end of the driveways of people I don't like.
 
  • #12
Thanks for the chuckle KG.

There is a new lock on the market that is available in Florida, but is starting to be carried in a few other states as well. The guy who invented it, originally created it to help prevent doors from blowing in during a hurricane...but its also makes it almost impossible for someone to kick-in your door (at least not without seriously hurting themselves in the process). Its especially good if you have french doors or other glass doors where an intruder can break the glass and reach into the knob. It involves installing a rod inside the door that then runs into the door frame when it locks. Their web site is tri-bolt.com.
 
  • #13
I was re-reading this again, after mentioning the list to my husband, and #3 -aha!!, that's why nobody steals from us. Unkempt landscaping = poor taste = poor pickings. Now I appreciate not being able to afford a gardener!
 

What are some common things a burglar won't tell you?

Burglars won't tell you if they've been watching your home or neighborhood, if they have an accomplice, if they have a specific target in mind, if they're armed, or if they have a backup plan in case their initial plan fails.

How can I prevent my home from being a target for burglars?

To prevent your home from being a target, make sure to always lock your doors and windows, install a home security system, keep your outdoor lights on at night, and don't advertise expensive items or vacations on social media.

What are some common mistakes homeowners make that make it easier for burglars?

Leaving spare keys in obvious places, leaving windows open or unlocked, having easily accessible hide-a-keys, and leaving expensive items in plain sight are all common mistakes that make it easier for burglars to target your home.

What are some warning signs that my home has been targeted by a burglar?

Unusual markings or symbols on your home or property, missing or damaged locks, and unfamiliar footprints or tire tracks in your yard are all warning signs that your home may have been targeted by a burglar.

What should I do if I suspect a burglar has targeted my home?

If you suspect a burglar has targeted your home, contact your local police department immediately. Do not enter your home until it has been cleared by the authorities, and do not touch anything that may have been tampered with by the burglar.

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