Having your home robbed by a burglar is scary. But it happens. Living under the assumption that you’re robbery-resistant is dangerous thinking, and we have some expert advice. Yes, storing your possession safely and having a secure lock system for your doors and windows is necessary. However, you can also be pre-emptively smart in other ways and avoid a break-in at home. After all, thieves are human beings, too, and some ex-burglars have just spilled out a few of their robbery secrets on Reddit. Yes, you got that right; these can be considered actual pieces of advice from past burglars! That sounds like fake news, right? Well, then check out the list below and learn how to make your home safer straight from the horse’s mouth.
1:Find Another Place for Your Car Keys
There’s a universal place for keeping car keys in every home – next to the entrance! Well, keeping the keys next to your door makes sense, as you can easily take them off when you leave and hang them back upon your return. It’s pretty convenient.
2: Secure Your Jewelry Box
Jewelry box – the honey pot of burglary! Jewelry boxes are quite helpful in storing your pearls, diamonds, and other valuable accessories organized. But they are also handy for enabling burglars to make easy money as they might take the whole thing.
3: Light Up Your House
When you’re leaving your home, switching off lights is indeed energy-efficient but not robbery-resistant. There’s a higher probability of burglary in an empty house. You may be leaving, but you mustn’t let others take note of your leave. Keep some lights on and let them think you’re in the house.
Here’s some handy advice from a Reddit user, “LED lighting is cheap these days. Investing in one of those smart-lighting systems where you can set different rooms to turn on and off at different points in the day. (kitchen during dinner time, bedrooms at night, etc.).”
4: Kids, Don’t Answer the Door!
A Reddit user who was a door-to-door salesman shared his experience about kids under the age of 6 years freely answering the door without any guidance from their parents. This is a good sign for burglars but not for your home.
5: Remember Burglars Chase Braggers
Humans tend to show off and brag about their new and expensive purchases. But guess what? Your friends aren’t big fans of it, and as for burglars, you’re unwittingly informing them of all you have for them to steal. It’s only the thief’s fault, but we can be brilliant!
Burglars use social media too. And a Reddit user has made it clearly known that burglars are always searching for new social media posts showcasing expensive items. Showing off your shopping spree might therefore lead to a stealing spree. Be safe!
6: Put Your Basement to Use
Past burglars have shared their regrets on Reddit about ignoring the basement or attic of a house, assuming that it was a mere storage space limited to old worn-out things. But, of course, their main targets are the big-ticket items. So, while robbing middle-class homes, they never checked the basement.
So, if you have one of these spaces (or both), the secret has already been spoken – your basement is your savior! Use your attic or basement to hide your money and other valuables amongst your worn-out possessions, and burglars will walk past them.
7: The Freezer Trick is Out of Fashion
A Reddit user stated that freezers and cereal boxes are old-fashioned hiding spots. You may think hiding your valuables is good, but unfortunately, everyone knows about them. There’s no way burglars are walking away from your home without going through the freezer and cereal box.
8: Make Your Lawn Look Well-Maintained
Remember the above-said hack about leaving your house lights on? Well, mowing your lawn is another way to trick burglars into thinking that your house is currently occupied. Mowing will make the burglar think that someone stays permanently in the house and regularly maintains the yard.
9: Freak Out the Burglars
Here’s a little trick to freak out those burglars intending to rob your home. First, glue a key under the flower pot or the doormat. Then, install a security camera to record their actions and reactions to getting caught red-handed.
10: Confuse the Burglars
Safes are a secure storage space but are they really when they are the first place a burglar always targets? Burglars assume that all valuables are stored in the safe. Thus, they may leave everything else and walk away with the entire thing.
11: Mount Your TV
Having your television getting stolen is absurd, right? After all, who would make such efforts to lift the heavy electronic device and run away with it! In this regard, you should know that stealing your TV is not difficult if you place it on a stand.
12: Never Leave Your Purse Unattended
A Reddit user shared that his burglar friends always looked for women who carried purses. They waited for a chance when those women would leave their bags unattended. And once they get the opportunity, they would ride their bikes speedily, snatch the purse, and run away.
13: Do Some Creative Thinking to Innovate DIY Hiding Places
Before we say what the hint is, look at what this Reddit user has to say, “I’ve seen people make false outlets for hiding valuables like cash and jewelry. Just an idea; a burglar would have to be at your home long to start checking outlets.”
14: Don’t Use Nightstands as Storage Spaces
It’s common for everyone to keep their valuables on the nightstand. Whether it is a good book one is engrossed in or a fragrant candle, nightstands are an easy-to-access storage space. Unfortunately, it is just as easy for burglars to access that spot.
15: Get Sneakier With Your Spare Keys
Keys are one of the essential items you must always carry with you. But they are also an item that gets easily misplaced. So, to avoid breaking in the lock every time, most people slip in the spare key under the doormat. But is it really safe?
16: Seek Others’ Opinions for Choosing Hiding Spots
A Reddit user received excellent advice from his uncle, a policeman. The suggestion was to ask a friend or family member to look for what you’ve hidden in a place you think is safe. If they find the hidden item, it’s not a great place to hide your possessions.
17: Make Burglary Time-Consuming
Time is precious, but every second counts when thieves do their job. If they can easily see valuables, it is effortless for them to steal. But, if you use a secure storage space with lock systems, this is when the clocks start ticking.
While stealing, burglars have limited time. They usually won’t be able to break through tough locks. They’d also prefer silence to prevent getting caught. But breaking locks is noisy. So, in this process, they would eventually stop trying on those secure storage spots and leave your home with nothing.
18: Back Away from Installing Sliding Glass Doors
Sliding glass doors are cool, but before installing them in your house, hear us out! An ex-burglar on Reddit said, “If you have a sliding glass door, I can open it. Even with some of the security systems sold for sliding glass doors, I can open it.”
19: Break the Boxes
Burglars are regularly looking for bigger and better things to steal. So, when we throw out those big boxes on Christmas morning, we must be careful. Thieves are patrolling the streets for the signs of a potentially “big haul.”
20: Unlock Drawers
Keep your drawers unlocked – what insane advice, right? Before concluding, hear what an ex-burglar Reddit user has to say, “Oh, and thanks for locking drawers. That way, I only know exactly where the valuables are. I can quickly open that cheap wood drawer with a crowbar as pulling it open.”
21: Get a Surveillance Camera Immediately
Never underestimate the power of a good and effective surveillance camera. It is the handiest security system for your residence. Burglars not only aim to steal expensive things, but they also want to avoid getting caught. Cameras are your best bet at covering all your bases.
22: Secure Your Shed
An ex-burglar suggested on Reddit that one should never leave their home’s shed unlocked. Your shed is handy for storing a wide array of tools, and ironically, it is convenient for burglars to use these same tools and break into your house.
23: Hide Your Electronic Gadgets
Burglars love your treasured gadgets as much as you do. Look at that new gaming console you just brought. Cool, isn’t it? But do you know what’s uncool? Having your latest treasure get stolen from your living room coffee table.
24: Get a Bigger and Heavier Safe
We all consider our safe – with its custom combination – the perfect place for valuables. However, when there’s a burglary, it’s the first thing that you see a burglar walking away with satisfaction. So, maybe it’s time to find a bigger and bulkier safe.
25: Safeguard Your Textbooks
Books are one thing that can be easily resold. So, if you assume that burglars are probably not bookworms, they don’t have to be. At the end of the day, they aim to resell the stolen goods and make money.
26: Hire a House-Sitter
A Reddit user states that burglars usually target the houses of deceased people. The funerals’ time and date are made known to everyone through social media and newspapers. Burglars break into homes while the funeral occurs and take away all belongings of the person who once graced this planet.
27: Your Windows May Need a Renovation
Windows are often a burglar’s entry point. They can easily break through the glass, and if your window opens from the outside, that makes it easier on them. We often think the noise will deter them, but this is not a reasonable assumption.
28: Save Your Medicines
If you think your medicines are the last thing a burglar will steal, think again because this is what an ex-burglar had to say on Reddit, “The medicine cabinet or bathroom. I’ll scoop the drugs out into a bag.”
29: Small Lock Boxes are Not a Safe Spot in Disguise
Many people use small lockboxes, assuming they are well-disguised. But a Reddit user who was a burglar in the past said, “It’s great when you find one because they’re simple to open, and if they don’t have a wall safe, then all their main valuables and money are usually in it… jackpot.”
30: Fool the Burglars
If there is anything better than catching a burglar, it is fooling them. So, a Reddit user’s cousin has a clever trick up her sleeves. She uses a cheap jewelry box to store fake jewelry items so that burglars can walk away with them.
31: Fire Safes Won’t Save You from Theft
A Reddit user said, “Fire safes are only safe from fires.” In other words, it does not save your valuables from being burglarized. This ex-burglar also shared that fire safes are one of their prime targets. Good to know!
31: Steer Away from Common Hiding Locations
A Reddit user who was a burglar once upon a time expressed that he wanted to complete his robbery and be out of the house within 15 minutes every time he was on a stealing spree. So, accessing any spot that needed more than 1 minute was not worth it.
33: Use a Shatterproof Film
It is always recommended not to use sliding glass doors or windows without grills. But if you don’t like this idea and don’t want to compromise on your interior space’s aesthetic design, here’s a better suggestion: get a shatterproof film!
34: Close and Lock Your Garage
A Reddit user shared that it’s pretty easy for burglars to tip-toe into a garage that’s been left open, even for a few seconds at night. You may be working on your garage, but close the door if you want to walk away for a second.
35: Thorns Can Prevent Theft
When designing your home’s layout, don’t just emphasize the appearance. Instead, focus on how you can design the landscape to offer more security to your home against thefts. Hence, a Reddit user suggested using thorny plants to keep burglars away.
36: Install an Alarm System
Alarm systems can be beneficial in keeping burglars at bay. They refrain from robbing houses with these handy gadgets because they know the consequences after the alarm starts ringing. This all sounds super basic and intuitive, of course.
37: Get a New Set of Keys
Did you move into a new house, and your landlord handed you the keys? Well, your home may be new, but what about those locks? There’s a good chance that you’ve been given the duplicate keys used by the previous tenants.
38: Keep That Mail Coming
Here is a little suggestion from a former burglar – keep the mail coming! Don’t stop it from coming even if you leave the house for a few days. It leads burglars to think that the home is not devoid of people.
39: Pet an Attention-Seeking Dog
No one can hate a cute little puppy. Owning a dog is a common suggestion that gets thrown around often when people discuss ways to avoid burglary. Well, the last thing a thief wants to do is to sneak into your house and be distracted by your overly friendly pet.