While burglars don’t generally actually creep around with striped clothing, eye masks and sacks with a dollar sign on them, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t folks out there who might want to relieve you of your fine china or electronics. So it can be useful to know how to protect yourself.

Someone asked “Former burglars, what are some signs that your house is being targeted for a robbery?” and people, both ex criminals and the victims of burglaries, shared their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the most interesting posts and be sure to detail your own thoughts and experiences in the comments section down below.

#1

Obligatory “not a burglar”, but my aunt’s house was burgled three times, twice while I lived there. One sign is: your pets acting weird. The day my aunt left out of town, my cousins came to pick me and my sister up and her dog would NOT come into the house. He ran outside and hid under a bush. We suspect the burglar was either inside the house at the time (there were many hiding spots), or around the corner of the house, hiding.

Either way, next day my sister and I get home from school and the cops and one of my other cousins are there because the neighbor noticed the front door was open.

Image credits: anon

#2

If you open your door and a $1/2/5.00 etc, bill floats down, somebody is targeting your house.

When I was a precious angel, I used to wedge a bill on top/side of the front door. I’d check again in the early hours to see if the money was taken or put back in the wrong place. If it was, I’d leave the place alone.

I’d recommend if it happens, wether it be money or other that falls when you unlock the front door, to let the police know someone is targeting houses for a robbery.

Image credits: anon

#3

If your neighbor gets robbed in broad daylight, you have to assume you’re next.

I once lived in a converted garage behind a house. My four roommates all lived in the main house. I was unemployed for several months and since I had no kitchen in my shack, I’d go in and out of the main house often. The landscapers knew I was there and anyone watching from the street could have seen me puttering around. One day my neighbor told me she’d been robbed in the middle of the day and asked me if I’d seen anything, which I hadn’t. But you bet as soon as I moved out and my four roommates were left without me home all the time, they got robbed almost immediately. At 4:00 in the afternoon.

Image credits: 012617

#4

My neighbour got robbed because he installed a dog flap.

I.e. he put a man-sized hole in his door.

We don’t even live in a particularly nice area.

Image credits: Laikitu

#5

Someone rings your doorbell and runs away at 2am.

If nobody turns the light on, they do it one more time. If no light again, they assume house is empty and kick in the door.

Door to door alleged sales people posing as alarm system or satellite installers.

Besides that, not much.

Image credits: ikilledtupac

#6

Markings in chalk! Like a small x somewhere you wouldn’t notice! Common where I live….

Image credits: nanogh

#7

A common scam in my neighborhood is to come to the door trying to sell a security system and try and get you to let them in and talk about what you need. This way they find out about what kind of security you already have. Some come as proselytizers too, carrying a bible and dressed nice, then they ask for water or to use your bathroom so they can get in and case your place.

Image credits: Leallame

#8

I live in South Africa, and crime here is pretty rampant. A sign that someone will break in, is when you possess anything of value 🙂

I laughed a bit at some of the comments below, since the recommendations have proven not to work here.

Here’s what works in order to prevent a burglary: **Layer your security measures.** What does that mean?

– Have electric fencing around your property, hooked up to your alarm system. The shock won’t keep anyone out, so it has to trip your alarm system. Make sure the fence is properly installed, against the outside of your wall, with the top part angled away from your wall.

– Have beams and other passives around your garden, covering all windows and doors. I use Paradox’s PMD85 and NVR780 for this.

– Security gates on each and every door and window around your house. Don’t buy cheap c**p, install only the best. You are hoping that your alarm system was triggered by either the fence or the sensors outside while they struggle with the security door. The security door buys you time, nothing more. A normal door won’t take them more than a couple of seconds to open, no matter what you have.

– Inside the house, have more passives and beams, preferably pet-immune ones. This is only useful if you have…

– …another security gate installed, which partitions your bedrooms from the rest of the house. This is to buy you additional time whilst authorities are on their way, assuming they even made it past the outside measures.

– If you think dogs will protect you, keep them inside. Dogs kept outside in my area, are routinely poisoned. This has happened many times.

– Our police are useless, so we make use of local security companies. Pick a local one that has offices in your suburb, so that their reaction time is short. For instance, I would not use Chubb or ADT. Their reaction times are 15-30min, whereas my local company takes 2-3 minutes. Without having your alarm system hooked up to a security company, all of the above is for nothing. It will just take the burglars longer to get in.

– CCTV cameras also act as a deterrent. They might not even try to come in if they see those mounted around your property.

I have had one attempted break-in over the past year. The burglars had cut my electric fence and floodlights, climbed over the wall (tripped passives), just popped open my normal door and were busy with the security gate, when the armed response showed up.

#9

Not a burglar, but grew up as the “rich” family in a rough area, we were burgled several times.

I noticed that most burglars are not exactly intelligent. It is a high risk occupation that does not pay well, don’t expect the best and brightest to do it.

If you look carefully you’ll see things being tampered with. Your gate will be opened and not shut, random extra trash for no reason, that’s them casing the place checking to see if there’s anything visible. They also like to shift things to see if they can create a blindspot to break in.

Some things you can do to prevent it, basically the things I wish my parents did when I was growing up.

Your best bet is just to slow them down. Make it faster for them to target someone else and they will.

There are window coatings that resist breakage, if you live in a high risk area get these.

Dual pane windows. Only slows them down but they’re looking for quick in and out.

Window locks. Sure they seem like stupid little whatevers, but they slow down entry.

Any recessed doors should have security screens.

Be friends with your neighbors. They are the most likely to be the burglars, you don’t rob friends, and if there is an issue a friend is more likely to interrupt.

Keep clear visibility to your windows from the street. Windows that are not visible from the street are where they will break in.

Keep garbage cans away from windows.

Keep expensive objects out of windows.

If someone is a known thief don’t invite them to move in. Yeah that’s probably the biggest problem my family had.

Really anything you can do to make the burglars more visible or to slow them down deters them.

Image credits: holomntn

#10

Often, we’ll pretend to be policemen and “check up” on resident’s security measures. Often, they’ll tell us they’re going on vacation, especially during the holidays. We often case the neighborhood in a plumbing van to see if there is much activity like having lights on or parties with oddly stiff dancers. We prefer backdoors and basements entries. Be especially alert to a rash of flooded houses, a classic sign of burglars, particularly around Chicago.

Image credits: Billy_Grahamcracker

#11

My experience with a burglar:

Went downstairs in our shared student house, went to the utility room to get a frozen lasagna, turned around where the back door is and above the back door is a window, where a man all dressed in black had his torso through the window, with a stick.
He was swinging the stick at the sliding door bolts to gain entry.

It was so surreal I just looked at him and said “what are you doing?”. He briefly looked up and started wiggling a lot, trying to wriggle out of the window. I then spent what felt like ages, shouting obscenities at him until he wriggled out and ran away.

So when a burglar is half way through your window; that’s a sign.

#12

Not a burglar but lots happens in my area.

• People coming by who are either sketchily fundraising for something or “working for so-and-so company” when you weren’t expecting anyone. They’re casing your house and figuring out when you’re home. They’re also probably figuring out the best way in and out of your place.

• Leaving boxes of big ticket items visible in your garbage or alley.

• Depending on who/where, sometimes they’ll stake out near your home or do drive-bys several times to see when you’re home.

Image credits: chornu

#13

Very few references to CCTV in here, my dad’s place got broken into the day before the sale closed, likely by the previous owner. (bank repo).

He installed CCTV cams all over the property and hasn’t had an issue since.

They are really very inexpensive, you can get a full set of 8 cameras at costco for under 1000$ us last time I looked, with a NVR. The hardest part is stringing the wires, so if you arent handy you may have to pay someone.

It goes without saying that you need to stream at least motion events to an offsite location however, as it is possible a burglar could just take your recordings.

The added benefit is you get recordings of every time you wipe out shoveling the drive way, or when the purolator man throws your package at the door and runs away instead of placing it down like a non-savage.

#14

If you live in the snowbelt, check for tracks and shoe prints.

Image credits: Jay_Eye_MBOTH_WHY

#15

One common tactic I know is that they will ring your doorbell and wait to see if anyone answers. If someone answers they know that someone is home and make up some stupid excuse as to why they ringed it. Something “oh I thought this was X’s place” – which rarely occurs in the first place since people always double check apartment number when visiting for first time.

If they know no one is home, they’ll break in.

This happened to a string of apartments when I was in school and there was a reported number of thefts. When he rang my doorbell I didn’t think much of it. But later I realized it was the same robber trying to target my apartment. I gave a report to the cops about what this person looked like – turns out others reported him too. [He] was caught by a patrolling cop car roaming the sidewalk trying to rob homes. He was arrested and I think he’s doing hard time now.

Image credits: anon

#16

If you’re moving into a newly built complex, CHANGE THE LOCKS. Just over a year ago, my housemate and his girlfriend came back to our place to find that laptops and jewellry had been nicked, and there was no sign of forced entry – also we live in South Africa, so doors are *always* locked.

Turns out the builders were cheap, and used the same three types of locks for the front doors. Strongly suspect that ex-employees of the company did a short term rental of a unit (three months probably) and just took notes of everyone’s comings and goings. Then just wander to a unit, try one of the three keys and then casually stroll out with a laptop bag stuffed with goodies. We weren’t the only unit to be hit, and the HOA only sent out a notice to be vigilant after I spoke to the niece of one of the people who were on the board.

Also, security gates are nice.

Image credits: iraddney

#17

If you get home and your garage door opener doesn’t work, there is a chance you are in the process of being robbed or were just robbed. Burglars will pull that cable in the garage so the garage door doesn’t work that way they have more time to get away if you come home while they are still there.

Image credits: ballinlikewat

#18

Signs painted on or near buildings/residences that are deemed to be ‘easy pickings’, so to speak. Also signs that act as warnings. For example, the sign for ‘alarmed’ looks like a W with a line drawn horizontally across the top, while a simple X could mean a good target.

This is true where I am in England, but I know not whether these symbols carry over to other countries.

*not a former burglar. I would be wealthier if I was. I would also have a cat called Dingo who would help me on my missions.

#19

A nice place in a rural area, no close neighbors, and a short driveway. Pay attention to a strange vehicle driving by at different hours. Get a camera, put it on your front door, they will generally knock first. Do not keep valuables in a portable safe. Good luck.

Image credits: Whiskey1978

#20

Also not a burglar but my parents house got broken into a few years ago because they had a big Douglas fir tree on the lawn which blocked the view of the front door from the street.
The robbers knocked on the door around 10 on a weekday and when no one answered they busted the door jamb.

#21

Best thing you can get is a couple IP network cameras and a computer to run Blue Iris (software). For a few hundred dollars, you can get video notification when someone comes to your door(s).

#22

A bad thief leaves a sign that he’s going to rob someone but I can leave you a beavy of tips.

Lock up or put away your dam ladder.

Buy good locks on your front doors and all other doors add a deadbolt.

A safe should be anchored in the bottom floor of your house, (and never shown).

Don’t announce your vacation on social media.

Trim your hedges.

Add a dot of glow in the dark nail polish to your deadbolts ( so at night from a distance you can see if you locked your doors).

Keep your camera’s hidden, high and with an offsite backup.

Motion sensors floodlights for your door, garage and all other doors.

Put a good strong door with a deadbolt in your master bedroom.

Get solar powered lawn lights (preferably with replaceable batteries).

Even if you have a security system get a few security cameras that you can remote into via smartphone. (They even sell them at best buy).

Add a thorned bush underneath your windows.

If your house has a wall that can be jumped from a street or alley way, either add thorned bushes or shovel out a dip every half foot or so. ( You’ll break a leg if you hopped it).

Don’t expect your dogs to do [anything] unless you’re home.

#23

Not a burglar, but a learned burgled person. But this one was pretty remarkable, and it is something you wouldn’t consider probably.

Patio furniture/lawn chairs.

Now you are probably thinking “…huh?” but keep reading because this was some genuinely crafty stuff.

My friend and I rented this house in a questionable area. We didn’t have much of a front yard, but we had a little concrete area for smokers to sit at outside with a plastic table and 2 chairs. For about 3 weeks, every time I’d come home from work (and I worked 60+ hours a week) I noticed that one of the chairs was slightly out of position. It was hardly noticeable; it looked like a raccoon had glanced it or twisted it slightly, or that someone had sat down and backed out of the chair improperly. Each day I would come home, I would just reset the chair out of place a bit.

As the days went on, the chairs got more and more blatantly moved. We started attributing it to the wind. It was particularly drafty by our front door, so we rationalized it that way. One day I came home and the chair was completely knocked over. I still thought nothing of it, as the persistent, gradual changes seemingly led up to this moment. “Here we go again..” I thought.

The next day, when I came home from work, my back door had been kicked in. There were 4 guys in my apartment, one of whom pointed a gun at me when I ran away. The others ran away too, but the guy with the gun followed me, pointed it right at me, and definitely seemed to be considering ending me strongly. However, his friends were screaming “Yo man don’t do it wth are you doing lets go man!” He lowered the gun and ran away to the getaway car.

When the officer came, he asked if there had been anything unusual around the house. I thought it a really odd question because what constitutes “odd”? I mentioned the chair and the furniture and the Officer just paused, exhaled, and went “Oh. Yeah. That explains it.” I was really confused what he could have possibly gathered from furniture. So I asked him “Can you please explain? I am not following you…”

“These burglars, we have seen this before. The flip furniture and move things around as a presence test. The idea is that, if someone is home, they will see the out of place object and move it back. They also do this to learn your schedule. For example, if they move the furniture at 2and come by at 6pm returned to it’s original placement, they can reasonably assert that you get off work before 6pm. They probably cased you for weeks to get a feel for who was home, what your schedules were, how many of you lived there, etc.”

In disbelief, I just kinda crumpled to the floor. It wasn’t animals, it wasn’t the wind, it wasn’t roommate lethargy… we were active targets. When my roommate arrived and I told him this, he turned ghost white. “I came home to the chairs several times being totally flipped over… i thought you had done it the whole time.” We both just sat there in silence when we realized how long this had been going on.

TL;DR: Burglars can use your own property to scout, mark, and learn about the best time to rob your home. If things are routinely out of place, be careful.

#24

Not a burglar, I swear, but my neighbour had the bulbs on his motion sensor lights that were facing his garage loosened the day before they broke in and stole his ATV. So you might want to watch out for “burnt” bulbs.

#25

Not a sign but a tip coming from someone who made this mistake.
Be friendly with your neighbours but don’t give them too much information about the security of your home.

We had an attempted break in. They only damaged a door they couldn’t get through. Went to see if they neighbours saw anything and happen to mention a window was open during the attempted break in and laughed about it as we were lucky the attempted robbers didn’t notice.

The next week we were broken into. Through that window. An ipod along with some cash and other valuables were taken. Did a “Find my iphone” on the ipod and sure enough it was next door. We called the cops but they said they couldn’t do anything as it wasn’t enough proof (our houses shared a wall). Previously our neighbour was super friendly to us and after this break in completely ignored/avoided us. 99% sure it was her and nothing could be done.

Be careful what info you give to neighbours!

#26

When your house gets robbed but not much is taken. That was just to see what you had, they will be back.

#27

Not a burglar, but i had been robbed once two years ago. My family works everyday, every hour so we are rarely home. Now we lived in a decent house, in a somewhat good neighborhood (only someone got stabbed like 2 blocks away), and have a husky who is strong as hell and a mutt dog (everyone says she looks like a drowned rat, but i loved her) who is incredibly territorial about us and the house. Problem was our house was on the corner for two streets , you can see past the curtains if you walk by, and again we were rarely home.

For me the signs that stood out after we left was : flashlights beaming into our windows at night when we go to bed,l (i sleep in the living room on the couch located near the windiw that faces the street), the random van that stays there for a while, and the rare moments i was home someone trying the doorknob and would stop when i turn on the lights.

Like i said we were rarely home. One night came home to light on in the house, furniture moved around and papers everywhere, tv and laptop gone, and some minor things too. Smashed windows in the kitchen and dining room.

All this in 30 minutes before we got home. The cops were there when we got home, our neighbors across the street called them when they heard the commotion. Luckily my dogs where safe thank god . But i never got my peace of mind back.

I take more precautions now.

#28

If you have an alarm system do not advertise it. If a burglar sees “Protected by ADT” the might know how to foil the system and/or how much time they have before a response. Best to not advertise your system or to get a generic warning sign.

#29

No quality burglar is going to give you signs, but I can tell you that attracts a good one. If you have no large dogs/noisy dogs, no visible alarm system that makes noise(we wouldn’t care if someone had silent alarms, because we would be in and out before police even got the dispatch call after the security company got in touch with them) and its a decent size place that’s well kept and you have expensive cars there when home. Bonus points if you commonly leave windows open so burglars can peek in with binoculars and see that you have things worth taking.

Pretty much, if you have anything worth taking, or your home looks like it does, get a couple of big dogs inside (if they stay outside they just get food [with illegal substances]) or a NOISY alarm system. No one wants to break into a place where neighbors attention/a nearby patrol car may hear an alarm. Being faster than the dispatch call doesn’t help if a cop happens to hear it from a block away.

#30

Not a former burglar, but in recent years have been warned by police and neighbourhood watch folk that to look out for strange markings on gates/fences/walls/front doors. Sometimes they come along and scope out your place during the day, mark it so they remember where and come back at night.

#31

The direct opposite of a burglar here (ex cop)

Most burglaries are opportunistic (i.e. Someone noticing an open window with valuables on display while walking past) and it is very unlikely your house will be targeted, because why yours when they could go choose an open window down the street?

Your best method is prevention, now while it’s good to have alarms and good locks, you should also practise property awareness, ensure everything is locked before you leave the house, try not to leave valuables on display, particularly in the summer when you have your windows open, and if possible, leave a hallway light on during the night which looks like you’re still awake.

If you notice any strange activities, i.e. someone stopping and looking through your window/taking pictures, then report this activity to the police.

#32

TV and computer boxes in your rubbish. Easy semi-concealed access to your home.

Having said that the only time I’ve been robbed was in a secure apartment complex. They took a few cameras about 20kgs/44lb in $1 and $2 coins and used our eco friendly shopping bags to cart them!

#33

Not a burglar. BUT…

When I first moved into my place, I immediately felt like I was going to be robbed. It was an intense feeling, not “I feel like someone might try to break into my house” but “Someone WILL try breaking in. And very soon.” I can’t explain it. Then one day, when I stepped out the hair on the back of my head stood up. I felt like I was being watched. A few days later, I was returning home and saw a guy at my back door calm as can be trying to break in. Trust your instincts.

Edit: here’s the second half of my story. I froze. I was in the car with my mom, we’d just come back from dinner. I have a driveway that leads up to my back door, which is on a porch. My mom spotted him first, and I was so shocked I thought it was my boyfriend. I even pulled my phone out to call him. But deep down I knew it wasn’t, the guy was too tall and his body shape was completely different. I was just mind blown. I definitely wasn’t thinking, and I told my mom to flash the high beams on him. At this point he was trying to pick the lock, and was leaning against the door. We flashed the high beams on him and he LITERALLY looked right at us, then went back to picking the lock!

So I pull out my phone again, and get out of the car. I still couldn’t comprehend that someone was trying to break into my place. Especially after I just moved in. The guy looks at me AGAIN, and slowly walked off the porch and went to my basement window. Yes folks I know what you’re thinking, and YES I finally called the cops. But it got weirder. The guy looked at me calm as can be, and returned to the back door. He then tried the door again for a few more seconds, and then casually walked away into the darkness. I didn’t have a porch light yet, so it was extremely dark out back. The cops got there less than 3 minutes later but he was gone. I regret not calling the cops as soon as I saw him. They would’ve caught him. Now I have to worry if he’ll be back. I got in touch with the girl that used to live here, and she mentioned someone tried to break into the place while she was there as well. Great. The cops also told me my neighbor was a shady pos, basically saying they wouldn’t be surprised if it was him or his shady friends.

IT GETS ODDER. Right after the police leave, I hysterically call my boyfriend, and he was on his way while my mom comforted me. There was a knock at the door and it was my upstairs neighbor. She said her light were out and she needed to use the fuse box. She sent her son Jack to do it. I explained someone tried to break in. Their reactions were lukewarm. Just “Wow.” I’d be freaked out if my downstairs neighbor was almost robbed, but maybe that’s just me. Her son walked into my place and said “I always wondered what this place looked like hahahaha!” They fiddled around with the box and after about 10 minutes left. They would’ve been knocking the same time the robber was already in the house or out back. It was a crazy night. I’m still terrified to be home, and I definitely don’t trust my neighbors. I do however trust my instincts. And they tell me it ain’t over yet.

#34

I was robbed once. My roommate and I lived in a [bad] townhome, but we had nice electronics. One night I came home and my roommate said she thought she saw someone looking into the window. It was dark so she wasn’t sure, then brushed it off. The next morning my lap top was gone and her cell phone was gone. Nothing else was taken.

#35

Most property crimes are crimes of opportunity.

Lock your doors.

Lock your windows.

Close your garage.

#36

I believe that more often than not if there’s an unsavoury character in your life, he or she will be involved.

My best friends brother is a known ]illegal substances] user. Good guy but goes off on binges that lasted months at a time. That being said I would play guitar with him and another guy who plays a mean fiddle.

Anyways one late night we were done jamming and out of nowhere the junky says, man if I didn’t know you what a score this house would be. The comment raised my eyebrow but I felt secure because I knew him and his family really well. Well when I got home on a beautiful sunny summer afternoon back door window was smashed in. I lost guitars, pedals, amps, laptops, dvds and more. They even took a jar of old weed roaches out of a drawer in the living room. They went through everything. Talk about feeling totally violated. First thing that came into my head was that night and the guys name. I called him under the guise that if heard anything let me know.

Luckily and unfortunately he was on a bender and junkies are idiots. He calls me back a couple hours later saying bro I’m looking at your stuff but I had to pay for it to get it back so you owe me this much money. I played broke, said I’ll pay you when I get the cash. Dummy gives me almost everything back. I had to write the rest if it off when he called looking for money and we told him [buzz off]. So long story short, he was hard up for cash, sold my house info to dealers for whatever fix. They robbed my house and then he thought I would pay him off, double score! I’m still bitter because he still got some nice stuff but I suppose I’m grateful I got the important stuff back.

Edit: By the way they used my own luggage to pack my [stuff] up and carry it down the street.

#37

Ok I maybe the only former burglar on here, I thought maybe highlighting my particular process would be helpful.

Get car

Drive up and down a street at like 3 am
Record which houses had lights on and how many cars were at each

Repeat and do the same at 8am

Then 12 pm

Then 3 pm

Doing this will give a good schedule of when people are in and out. Most of the comments talk about a particular house being scoped out, honestly I think most of us are afraid to get out of our cars let alone look in a window.

After this thou pretty much pick a house
Put on mask
Smash and grab (Should take about 5 mins)

If you see a person you’re probably as scared as they are so book it.

Cameras don’t work as a deterrent very well unless they are external (They would see my driving by so if a robbery took place they would immediately run the plates of the guy who drove by 5 times a day).

#38

No (ex) burglar, but this past summer when my parents were on holiday, we were staying at their house while we remodeled our own kitchen. One morning I found some dust/sand on the windowsill inside the windows at the front of the house, but didn’t think much of it (‘what the [hell] have our weird cats done this time?’). Cleaned it up a bit and went about my day.

When my parents came home from their holiday a week later, they called me saying that they had found the shutting mechanism at the top window screwed loose, so it could open all the way. They also found more dirt in the windowsill (apparently I didn’t clean it all) and said it looked like a footprint. Nothing was stolen, but we think someone came into the house but had to run because they heard something (my brothers are often home but upstairs, so it may have looked like no one was there).

When I went to my parents next, I checked out the window and found that the *outside* windowsill had a white cross in chalk on it. I assume this was a sign to other burglars for something?

Anyway, we got lucky.

EDIT: I see many posts listing a whole array of prevention tips, but I don’t think you need to change your house into some kind of high-security fort. From what I’ve heard, all you need to do is make it just slightly harder to get into your house undetected than it is to get into your neighbours’ house. It sounds selfish, but piling on more and more security measures will still give the same results: the burglars will go to your neighbours.

#39

Saw on some documentary that some dodgy builders and drive layers will leave patterns easily indentifiable to burglars that the owners have stuff worth stealing. Also look for chalk marks on gate posts etc. A book I read that purported to be the diary of a burglar also mentioned the fake security company angle I think. Previous door visits that have made me suspicious is people trying to sell their paintings door to door, unsolicited we can swop your energy suppliers to cheaper if we come inside, can you direct me to… But I’m not a burglar, just interested in true crime.

#40

Not a burglar, but one night we came home late, garage had been egged. Cops promised to step up patrols that night. Next morning wake up and 4 houses broken into, stolen car dumped, and one stolen from the house next to us, all within 10 houses of us….

First off – way to go on stepping up patrols officer…

But we also found other neighbors had been egged, turned out they came through at 11pmish, egged houses that had dogs to mark them I guess????? Came back at 2am and robbed the non-egged houses…

Thanks pupper!

#41

People coming to your door for spurious reasons, such as asking if you want your paper delivered or your driveway surfaced. If some guy who looks strung-out bangs your door and then acts flustered when confronted, he was casing your house.

#42

Not a burglar, but if someone knocks loudly on your door you or your neighbor might be targeted. Parents house was burglarized years ago, dude banged on the door of the neighbor for a couple minutes and then broke into our house.

Few years back a girl was knocking on my door. She had three guys waiting in her car in front of my house. Across the street were men working on the neighbors house and they were getting stuff from their van. This chick banged and rang my doorbell for three minutes straight. I was in my underwear and asked through the door what do you want. She said she needed directions to a street one block over. I got my pistol. She kept ringing the bell. I opened up the door and pointed to where the street she said she was looking for. She ran back to her car and took off. I always felt bad that I didn’t call the cops, they probably robbed someone else.

#43

BBC had a show called Beat the Burglar, where they had security experts and former burglars rob people houses and give advise on how to improve security.

Keys being in reachable distance of letter box/pet door was one and lot of time they advised spikey hedges in areas where people might jump over fences.

#44

If a family member [passes away], leave someone to house sit the house the deceased lived in.
Years ago a bunch of thieves would look at the funerals section and they would go burglarize houses of the deceased, knowing full well that the whole family was away, down to the exact hour the funerals started.

#45

Others have mentioned that having packaging for new electronics in your trash telegraphs that you have something worth stealing so id like to remind people that having a sign or bumper sticker talking about how much you love guns and the right to bear arms, you are telling every potential robber that your house probably has guns, which are small and valuable and easy to fence, basically the perfect loot. It may seem like a deterent but if they can tell you are gone for the day its just a big target.

#46

I am not a former burglar, but have a video monitoring system set up to watch the cul de sac we live on. I have about two dozen camera covering the front, back and sides of our house and have almost complete coverage of the cul de sac, at least from the front of the homes. All video is recorded and I have a relatively sophisticated software monitoring program that alerts me to unusual activity.

About a year and half ago, I received an alert and watched this car pull up and park off to the side of the cul de sac and sit there for about 30 minutes. The next night, as one of the other comments says, I saw a guy go up to parked cars to see if they are unlocked (tried three cars only opened one) and opened the garage door.

I told my neighbors about this the next day after watching the footage and the neighbor camped out that night and waited for the car to come again that night and jumped out at the burglars car and smash the windshield with a metal baseball bat.

The footage mind you was awesome. Scared the [hell] out of the “would be” burglar and he gets out of the car and goes running off. The police showed up shortly afterwards and took my video surveillance as evidence.

#47

Side note: If you leave your car or house unlocked, you are not allowed to call it a break-in.

I had a friend claim that his car was stolen at a gas station. After several follow-up questions, it turns out that he left his car running and went inside to buy something. Came back out and his car was gone.

In my view, he gave his car away.

#48

I don’t know. But I did get a home burglarized one time. And a few things the cops said. That really nice “private” backyard with the tall trees. That makes it a target. The fact that there was greenspace across the road. Also made it a target. Less neighbors that may see something going on.

Lastly, if someone wants your stuff, they will get your stuff. The key is to deter them as much as possible. Make it so your neighbors house is easier to rob than yours. Sounds funny, but that is what the cops said.

#49

I’ve installed a Ring doorbell and the Ring Stick Up Cam.
Both are awesome and I think I’ve actually diverted a burglar who knocked asking if I needed work doing.

#50

If there are signs that a house is being targeted for burglary…that is an awful burglar.

That being said, some things you can do to make your house less of a target are installing motion activated flood lights. People don’t think to install them on the side of the house near gates/fences. The darker a place is the easier it is for someone to get closer to look for an unlocked door/window so lock your doors and windows. Don’t let shrubs overgrow in front of windows. If someone can hide behind a bush it gives them time to work on getting a window open.

I know a guy that would walk around a neighborhood at night and try car doors to see if any were unlocked. If he found one, he would look for a garage door opener. If he found one he would open the garage door while hiding and wait to see if any lights came on. If the house stayed dark he would check the door leading into the house through the garage. If it was open he would go in and steal whatever he could. If it was locked he would steal stuff from the garage.

#51

So I was never an actual burglar, but my friends and I used to break into really posh houses and use their shower. We never stole anything, didn’t do anything [bad], we just wanted to know what it was like to use these crazy showers with 9 shower heads or whatever other crazy seeming thing rich people could afford.

We would actually scope out houses for at least two weeks before we actually broke in. We would watch comings and goings, try to figure out where the marks worked, when they worked, if they had kids (kids meant an automatic cancelling of the job, never know when they’ll get sick and force parents to come home early), and whatnot. We tried to leave no trace of this, but I’m sure we were still seen around in an area where teens our age generally don’t go. We also probably left traces in the woods, not garbage, but waiting that long in the woods watching a house is impossible without at least finding a good tree to [urinate] on.

**Editing to add disclaimer:** Please don’t take this as inspiration. Now that I’m older I’m kind of horrified by this because if you really think about it, it’s super creepy. You don’t know it, but someone has been in your house. Did you leave that bottle of shampoo on the counter when you swore you’d put it in the shower? Why is your razor on the left side of the shower when you always put it on the right? Are you going crazy or *has someone been in your house using your shower?*

**Edit 2:** I thought it went without saying that this was absolutely a crime. Don’t do this folks! Don’t! Also, it’s possible to feel guilty about a thing and still find it funny at the same time. I wouldn’t do it again and I’m not suggesting that anyone else should do this either.

**Edit 3:** Anyone know a lawyer who could tell me realistically how much [trouble] we would have landed in if we had gotten caught? Now I want to know!

#52

Not a burglar and never robbed a house but… don’t make your house an easy target. It doesn’t matter how close your friends or family are. If they know you rarely lock the door or where your hidden key is, the temptation might be there. We never really hit houses that we knew nothing about and um definitely never stole anything. The less you think about it the more we.. Uh they are!

#53

Burgled once, get an alarm system installed. You don’t need fancy video cameras, just motion sensors in some rooms and door/window sensors. The peace of mind that comes with it is invaluable.

#54

For kids or whatever that are alone and someone is knocking on the door, what I always did if they looked legit (as well as their vehicle) and my parents were actually expecting someone at some point, when they asked if anyone was home I’d say that my dad was in a conference call. It implies that an adult is home, as well as on the phone with other people, and gives a reason why they otherwise wouldn’t be disturbed.

#55

Obligatory “not a burglar, but…”

Right out of college, my brother and I rented a place that was for sale. They gave us a good deal in exchange for keeping the house immaculate and making ourselves scarce if a realtor had an appointment.

Always ask for a card if someone shows up without an appointment. One day, a guy came by asking to see the house, but told us he just needed a couple of minutes, so “no need to check in.” Usually, they were very consistent about punching their code into the lock box even if we were home, since I believe it also kept a log of who had been there.

I had never seen him before, and he didn’t have any clients with him, so I asked for a card. He checked his pockets and told me he was all out, but again asked if he could just do a quick run through. I lied and told him my brother was in the shower, but he could come back in an hour. I felt like a [jerk], since part of our deal was to be helpful with the realtors, but something didn’t feel right. After he left, I called the name of the realty company he said he was with. They said the company had no agents by that name and to call the police if he came back. He never came back.

TL;DR: no shame in calling a realty company to make sure their agent exists

#56

Again, not a burglar, but I work with police in my day job. There are a few reasons people get targeted:

– Guns. Bad guys know they can get a LOT for a gun – more than the gun is actually worth because it’s linked to someone else’s name.
– [Illegal substances]. Houses get robbed all the time because the burglars know they won’t call the police
– Easy access. Might not sound like that big of a deal, but living on a higher floor (apartments/condos) decreases your risk significantly! People who live on the ground floor are about 30% more likely to be burgled.

#57

From seeing hundreds of burglaries and not just “this happened once”,
– padlocks or large locks. A burglar will see these and move to the next house, it’s just way too much effort
– motion activated lights. Lights themselves no one cares about, it’s the fact that the burglar has been detected and notified to anyone in view of the lights that someone/something is there
– someone comes to your door, they look kind of sketchy and come up with some story along the lines of they thought this was a relatives house, they are lost, etc. A lot of times a burglar will just go and knock on a door that they haven’t seen vehicles at to confirm that no one is home so are giving some excuse if someone IS home
– those little security signs can work, but aren’t %100

Basically most of the time a burglar is looking for A house, not YOUR house unless they get specific info about what’s inside. Anything that makes it more difficult for them to get in and out easily, they will just go to the house next door.

#58

Happened to our house 2 years ago valentine’s day. The wife and I didn’t even plan on staying out long so didn’t bother closing the blinds and leaving a light on. I reckon that’s what made our house a target.

When we were downtown we ended up having a few beers and time flew by and it got dark outside. The burglar broke in through the back door. Looking at the house now with lights off really is a big invitation no one’s home.

Now we have most lights on timers and a motion sensor light out the back of the house. When we’re really paranoid, I turn on all the new cameras and setup the motion sensor in the living room to call me if anything sets it off.

#59

Plant some pricker plants under window’s. Lock all door and windows. Secure your vehicle. Get a dog. Burglars are looking for targets of opportunity.

#60

We had an issue with garage thefts in the neighborhood last spring. The theives drove around in a truck marked like it belonged to a landscape company, with accompanying equipment trailor. When they’d find open, unattended garages (not that uncommon when people are out doing work in the backyard), they simply loaded the equipment onto their trailer. To a casual bystander, unless they saw the actual removal from the garage itself, it just looked like a landscaping company going about their work since mostly they took things like lawnmowers.

#61

In our neighborhood, it is apparently that they drive up and park on the street in front of your house and watch the house to see if anyone is home. One night we were coming in pretty late and we were sitting in the car talking, and this car that I assumed was our neighbors pulled up behind us. One of our doors opened, and they freaked out and sped off.

#62

Let’s just say you should never let a salesman into your home.

My brother used to work for kirby and they would hire friends of employees. What ended up happening was gangs were going around vacuuming people floors in order to case the places out. People often let their guard down and would reveal work hours, and whether they had a pet or whatever; people get stupid when they feel safe.

#63

In Colombia I learned that burglars would put dirty grease on padlocks. The unaware owner would take the padlock and soak it in kerosene to clean it and then for good measure usually drop a little oil in the lock to make it easy. This would make the job easier for the burglar to pick the lock.

#64

I notice a lot of people talking about flood lights as a preventative measure. When my house got burgled of riding lawnmower and pressure washer, they just unscrewed the bulbs. So get a cage to put over them to make that more difficult.

#65

The most commen ways to get robbed in my country, in the night on the outskirts of the city, someone bumbs your car and you would normally stop and get out to check and talk to the guy, distracting you while his partner jumps in your car and both hit the gas. Worst case, if you turn off your car and pull the keys, they’ll beat you or threaten you with a weapon to handover your keys. Another way for homes, they put some papers on the door like an ad or something and see if it gets removed or stays there for couple of days to know if there is someone in the house or it’s clear.

#66

There’s no super definitive signs, but just be careful with who you let in your home. Your kid’s friends, or your friend’s kid, might not be as docile as they seem. Locking doors, not leaving stuff out front to steal or make it look like there’s stuff to steal, and not posting on social media when you are planning to be out of town are also prudent steps. Oh yea, LOCK YOUR CAR! The amount of people that leave their car unlocked with their phone, tools, laptop, stereo, or whatever in there is unreal.

#67

Tape on a keyhole. Burglars will test whether you’re coming home lately.

#68

Burglars in my neighborhood put some advertising papers (the ones that often end up in the trash can) in hidden spots of a fance in order to “mark” a particular house as “this is the next one guys”.

#69

On another note: If you dont wanna spend thousands on security and dont like animals, just buy a couple dog toys and a dog dish and place it in visible view of a window perhaps… No one wants to be bitten by a Rufus or Rex.

#70

I live in an area where it’s not uncommon for folks to get robbed. I keep a “Beware of Dog” sign up even tho mine is a wimp. Motion sensor lights at front and back. Alarm system. Plus, I keep a little clock radio by my front door and it’s tuned to a sports talk radio station. Every time I leave, I turn on the radio and the volume is just loud enough to be heard thru the front door without really hearing what they’re saying. I think it makes burglars casing the place assume someone is home talking or watching tv.

#71

If you have very valuable stuff in the home and not a bank deposit box, your safe better be built into the home. Whenever I get a house, my safe will be fireproof, built into the floor in some random closet. Maybe the kitchen pantry or something.

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