Four Signs That Thieves Are Searching Your Home
According to the FBI, more than 3,000 burglaries occur every day in the United States. Of course, you can take steps to try to protect your home from burglary , starting with basic security measures and awareness . But a determined burglar can break into any home, and the average burglary takes only 8-10 minutes , but can take up to 40 minutes for the police to respond.
As an added layer of burglary prevention, you should know the signs that your home is being broken into by a burglar—and yes, burglars definitely do; 83% of burglars surveyed in the study said they had at least looked for home security systems before attempting to break into a home, and 12% said they had planned the entire operation in advance.
Vehicles nearby
Burglars searching a home need to determine a few basic facts: your schedule (so they know when the house is likely to be empty), the security measures in place, and their best chance of breaking in. A proven method to do this is to park a short distance away and watch your home at different times throughout the day. If you notice a new car suddenly parked in the same spot on your block, look a little closer to see if you can spot these telltale signs of surveillance:
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Occupied. Most parked cars don’t have people sitting in them for hours at a time.
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Equipment. Is the person in the car using cameras or binoculars (or similar equipment) to watch your home or other homes?
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Various people. If a parked car is occupied, is it the same person every day? Several people sitting in the same car is a big red flag that you have been detained.
Strangers come to the door
You might think the last thing burglars would want is to come face to face with their victims, but it’s not uncommon for burglars searching your home to literally be knocking on your door . There are two big reasons for this:
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We approve the schedules. If thieves think they know when you’re usually home and when the house is empty, knocking is an easy way to confirm this.
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Getting inside. By reporting an emergency or any other reason for being inside your home, they have the opportunity to observe the layout, safety measures, and location of valuables.
If you encounter strangers at your door trying to break in or claiming to have knocked on your door by mistake, be suspicious and vigilant.
Accidental vandalism
If a burglar thinks your home looks like a good target, he may try to confirm his suspicions or prepare your home for an invasion in a variety of ways:
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Damage. The stone in the window glass should attract the attention of the residents. If the issue is not resolved immediately, it means that no one is home.
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Headlights. Check outdoor lighting, especially motion-activated ones. They work? Has anyone unscrewed light bulbs? Sometimes thieves do this to disguise their approach in the future.
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Cameras. Check CCTV cameras. Are they damaged or hidden in any way? A would-be burglar can blind your home so he won’t be caught on camera robbing you.
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Oil reservoir. A tactic that robbers sometimes use is to siphon the gas from your car and then wait for you to drive away. Chances are you won’t notice that you’re angry, and they may be counting on delaying your return to give them extra time.
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Lost dog. It’s heartbreaking, but thieves sometimes let dogs out of yards or literally kidnap them so they don’t have to deal with a barking, aggressive animal when they arrive.
If you suddenly have random minor problems with your home, think that someone is targeting you.
Marking
No, there is no ” security code ” left on your home with elaborate markings, but thieves sometimes mark your home in subtle ways. Sometimes they leave colorful, fake flyers on your porch, masking tape on your door, or knock over your welcome mat. However, these things are not done to communicate anything to other burglars – they are ploys to check if anyone is paying attention to the house. If the flyers are still there the next day, the tape has not been removed or broken, and the rug is still upside down, this is a good sign that no one has entered or left the house and it is safe to break into.