Very few people realize the messages they are sending to would-be burglars and thieves. Several of the activities we engage in, either daily or periodically, can send the wrong message to those who may be looking to do us harm. Believe it or not, each and every activity we engage in, can be used to develop a plan of action conducive to exploiting us for personal gain. Let’s take a quick look at some of the things you may be doing that sends the wrong message, or that paints a target of preference upon our backs.
Daily Routines: Many of us have daily routines. We get up in the morning, shower, shave, grab a cup of coffee and decide what to wear to work that day. We normally follow this up by getting in the car and following the same route to the office each and every day. These type of routines can be damaging. If a thief or burglar is scouting you, or even just the neighborhood you live in, then they make take notice of your routine and determine that it suits their plans, which in turn will cause them to pay even more attention to you than to your neighbors.
Solution: Adopt new routes to and from work. Change the time of day you leave the house. Rise early once or twice a week and leave the house a half hour early, but make sure to alternate days in the coming weeks so that a new routine doesn’t develop. Consider leaving for work early, circling the block and stopping back by the house to grab something you “forgot.”
Home Security: The majority of people who subscribe to a monthly home security service, also allow the service providing company to place a small placard, or sign, in the front yard. This allows the sign to be seen by everybody that passes by; neighbor and thief alike. These signs tell would-be burglars that the occupants of said home consider the items with in the house to be of “better than average” in value. In other words, it lets the thieves know which house(s) offer the best potential for financial gain.
Solution: Get rid of the signs. Nobody needs to know that you consider your valuables to be worth more than your neighbors, especially those who might be looking to steal them.
Home Security 2: Package delivery and disposal habits can also provide ample information to criminals lurking in the neighborhood. Allowing packages to be delivered or dropped at the door when nobody is home, invites “porch pirates,” to take a closer look. Even if they do not steal the package, they can get a bit of personal information from the package. The presence of a package also tells criminals that there is a better than average chance nobody is home.
Disposal habits associated with delivered packages can also deliver information to thieves and thugs. As is common when a new item is delivered, once we open the package and remove the contents, we tend to toss the box out on the curb next to the regular trash can. If the packaging has advertising on it, such as for a 75” HDTV with all the bells and whistles, then imagine the conclusion a criminal might come to upon seeing this parked outside your house; there’s expensive items inside!
Solution: Always ensure that somebody is home and available to receive any and all deliveries scheduled to arrive. In this day and age package tracking software is almost instantaneous. This means you can keep an eye on expected delivery dates and make arrangements accordingly, even if you have to call and have the delivery date rescheduled, it is far better than allowing the package to be dropped on the porch when nobody is home.
When it comes to disposing of the packaging, there are several opportunities. If you have a fireplace, consider breaking down the cardboard to be used as a fire starter. You can also consider breaking down the packaging and disposing of it inside the traditional trashcan rather than leaving it on the curb. Another option would be walking the packaging out at the moment the trash truck arrives to collect, minimizing the opportunity for the package to be seen and used as an indicator by criminals.
Vehicle Security: How many times have you driven down the street and seen “family” decals on the rear window of the vehicle in front of you? Those decals also alert criminals to the internal makeup of the family unit; how many kids there are, possibly what type of pets are present, as well as whether the unit is a single parent family, or a two parent family. Couple this with military decals, license plates, or other insignia and you have effectively alerted anybody watching what to expect should they target you, your family, or your house.
Solution: Keep your vehicle in original form. Do not add decals, personalized license plates, or expensive aftermarket do-dads that draw attention to you and your vehicle.
The safety and security of you and your family is a personal responsibility. Far too often people fail to realize that they are providing significant information to the wrong type of people. Hopefully these suggestions will enlighten you to some of the very things many of us are detrimentally doing to ourselves. Stay tuned for our situational awareness article coming soon.
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