5 Scams used by home thieves around the world

Every year, millions of home burglaries are reported around the world. And don’t think that the victims are just very wealthy people: criminals can break into virtually any property, making huge profits. For example, in the US alone, the damage caused by home burglaries in 2016 was about 3.5 billion dollars.

Usually, thieves go unnoticed and try to get rid of the proceeds of theft as quickly as possible. The chances of victims recovering what was taken are low. The international rate of solving these crimes is no more than 20%.

However, when you know the vulnerable places and understand where criminals are heading right off the bat, it becomes easier to avoid problems or at least reduce the risks of becoming the next victim.

O awesome.club gathered for you the most common tricks used by thieves, also telling you how you can protect your home.

To rob a house, a thief needs, on average, 90 seconds to 12 minutes🇧🇷 Most of that time is spent searching for valuables. Therefore, criminals tend to choose easy targets: apartments on the first floor, houses that cannot be seen from the street, with doors and windows unlocked, etc.

Always close the front door of your apartment and the block, if any, as well as windows and balcony doors. If you live on the first or second floors, put bars on the windows and close them before leaving. Don’t leave your keys under the entrance mat nor in other “secret” places known to everyone. It’s best to leave them with trusted neighbors. Install an alarm system in your apartment. Thieves can easily deal with any type of lock with the help of the right tools, but the presence of an alarm in most cases ends up frightening. adopt a dog🇧🇷 To protect the house, it is not even necessary to have an aggressive breed dog, since barking is enough to attract attention at a time when all the thief wants is to go unnoticed. If you live in a house, the door must be clearly visible from the street and well lit.

Traditionally, vacation periods see increases in theft cases, as many people travel. Thieves use various methods to identify empty houses. The easiest of them is to observe correspondence accumulated in the mailbox. In addition, criminals can place flyers under the front door. If nobody picks them up, it’s because the owners of the house aren’t there.

If you are going to spend a lot of time outside, ask a friend or neighbor to take care of your home and remove the letters from the mailbox. Regularly empty your mailbox and do not leave advertising flyers at the door. Don’t leave windows without curtains, because the crooks can see the inside of your house.

Often, thieves do a lot of investigating before committing a crime. For example, they can transit through the apartments dressed as public service employees to check what time residents are not at home, also checking what they could take from each residence.

Therefore, places checked by thieves can be marked with specific symbols, placed on the door or in the mailbox. Over time, these symbols can change, but if you come across something similar, it’s good to be on the lookout.

If an employee from the power or water company visits you unannounced, it is best call the company he claims to work for, to verify that they actually sent someone. It’s not worth calling the number that the person gave himself, as everything could be part of the scheme. Carefully watch for suspicious signs on the door or mailbox. If you find any of them, it’s good to call the police. Keep keys or valuables out of sightas the thief can take a general look and memorize the location of your things.

First, criminals are interested in money, jewelry and electronic gadgets. But they can also target designer clothes, bags, shoes, perfume, medicine, weapons and other valuables that can be discreetly taken from the home.

Keep money in the bank. Jewelry and other valuables should be kept in a safe place, such as a safe. Underwear drawers, bookcases, shoeboxes and “messy” closets are not safe places: thieves know well about these hiding places, going to them the first time. But they are unlikely to check cupboards with food. In a folder, save the serial numbers telephones, computers and other appliances. Especially valuable items should be highlighted with UV highlighters. This slightly increases the chances of recovering eventually stolen items.

When posting photos of your vacation on social media, remember that they may not only be seen by your friends and relatives, but also by those who are looking for an empty house. Criminals may even know your location from the hashtags in your photos. Therefore, social networks can serve to let them know whether or not it is worth entering an apartment.

Do not post too much personal information on social media. Do not reveal your vacation itinerary on the networks or post photos in the middle of your rest period. Do not post pictures of valuables, money or large purchases. Do not add unknown people to your contact list.