Keep Burglars out by NOT Doing These at Home

Home invaders these days are becoming sneakier about their choice of houses to break into, and when to do so. Before, locking the doors and windows of your home was sufficient, but crooks are now paying close attention to what you don’t do as well. Read through this list and see if you are inadvertently attracting thieves rather than warding them off.

• When you unload newly bought television sets, laptops and other expensive gadgets and electronics right outside your house, you are giving robbers a screening of the pricey things you own. Wait until you have parked in the garage and closed the door before you take them out of the car. In addition, nothing screams “pricey valuables inside” like a stack of boxes and packages piled up next to the garbage can, so make sure that you ruin them and toss the inside the can.

• To a burglar, a good indication that no one is home is a pile of brochures, newspapers and mail. If you are planning to leave for over a day, you can prevent this by asking a neighbor you trust to collect mail and newspapers that get to your mailbox or door.

• It’s nice to crack open a window in order to let in the occasional breeze, but if it slips your mind, then it might also let in the occasional robber. Be sure to close up any window that you open.

• Home alarm systems are not really obstacles to anyone; you can ask the guy whose alarm keypad was installed near his glass door. If glass is part of the design of your front door, be sure to tell the alarm company to place the keypad somewhere that people can’t just look in on you typing in your code.

• Whenever you take to Twitter or Facebook and post messages like “Enjoying the Boracay sun!” or “Only three days before Hong Kong vacation!”, burglars can interpret them as “Please come in; no one’s home!” You should wait until after you come home before announcing details like these to your friends.

• If you make a habit out of leaving a room with the curtains wide open, you are inviting robbers to do some window shopping to see what they might want to take. Don’t entice them to do so; if you need to go to another room for even a minute, be sure to close your curtains.

Bear in mind that taking a look at all the different ways your home can fall victim to intruders and then taking the necessary steps to stop them is the best protection. Robbers might be getting more cunning, but you can always stay ahead by being smarter yourself.