Having your home robbed may be your biggest fear as a homeowner. You may think that all burglaries are quick and random. However, that is not always true. Some burglars will watch their target house for some time before they rob it.
They take the time to do this because it could make it easier for them to get inside the home unnoticed. Always be aware of the following signs that indicate your home may be getting watched by burglars so you can prevent this unfortunate incident from occurring.
Strangers in the Neighbourhood
If you keep seeing the same car or the same person appear in your neighbourhood all of a sudden, but no one has moved out/or in, this is likely a burglar. The burglar could be watching the whole neighbourhood or just a couple of houses in particular.
If you can get a license plate number and/or description of the person, give the information to the police so they have it on file.
Another way burglars will try to watch a house or neighbourhood is by posing as door-to-door salesmen. If you do not ever get door-to-door salesmen in your neighbourhood, report this activity to the police and do not open your door.
Faked Emergencies
If you have seen horror movies, you have probably seen a scene where a stranger knocks on a door and asks to use a phone just to get access to the home. This is not a far-fetched scenario and can easily happen to you if someone is watching your home. If you do not know the person at the door, don’t open it, and especially, don’t allow them inside your home.
Calls From Blocked Numbers
If you receive calls on your home phone from a blocked number, this could be a burglar calling you to see what times of the day you are typically home. They will usually hang up right when you pick up the phone. This is how burglars figure out when the best time to rob your home would be.
If you have children who answer the phone, the burglars could try to get information out of your kids. Kids do not always understand that someone asking questions is not necessarily a good thing and they may give the burglars more information than is safe for them to have.
Broken Windows, Doors, or Locks
If you come home and find that you have doors, windows, or locks broken, this could mean that a burglar has already tried to get into your home, or they were testing your security system. Before robbing a home, burglars may break windows, doors, or locks to see if they can get away with robbing the home without an alarm going off.
If you come home to find a window, door, or lock was broken while you were not home, you should have a new security system installed immediately to protect yourselves and your home.
Missing Trash
Burglars will go through your trash to see if there is anything valuable in there or find your private information. Because of this possibility, always shred any documents that have your private information on them. If the burglars are able to find enough documents with your private information, they can try to steal your identity.
Burglars will also be on the lookout for anything that could tell them when you will not be home so they can get into your home easier. If you have receipts for concerts, airplane tickets, etc., shred those too.
Have you noticed some of these signs around your home or neighbourhood? Contact us at Utility Buddy today and we can help you pick out and install the best security systems that will deter burglars from targeting your home again.
