There doesn’t seem to be any end to the level of creativity that burglars will use to get into your home. We described some home invasion scams that have been in the news recently.
In today’s story we will describe three more what are called “distraction burglaries” by law enforcement officials so that you can be aware of them.
From New Haven, Connecticut comes a story about a Distraction Burglary that started innocently enough when a woman saw a man standing at her next-door neighbor’s front door. The man then approached the woman and start talking to her about tree work. He identified himself as a city worker assessing trees that would be cut down. The man walked the woman to her backyard talking to her while also holding a conversation in Spanish with someone on a cell phone. The man kept the woman in the backyard for 10 to 20 minutes but she became suspicious and remembered that she had not locked her front door.
One thing led to another and the so-called “city worker” got busted when two men (his accomplices) ran out the front door and fled in a newer model Chevrolet pickup truck. As far as she could tell, nothing was stolen. She was very lucky!
Law enforcement officials have issued several tips for preventing home burglaries.
First and foremost is to lock all your doors and windows even when you’re at home.
Report suspicious people and vehicles to police.
Join or start a Neighborhood Watch in your neighborhood.
Never let strangers into your home.
Demand and verify a utility company employee’s identification. The same goes for salespeople or anyone who knocks on your front door.
Trim trees and shrubbery around lower-level doors and windows to eliminate hiding places.
Keep valuables such as cash and credit cards, jewelry and even handguns locked up or hidden in one of our diversion safes.
Don’t brag about vacations on social media because burglars know how to read too.
Police in Los Altos near San Jose, CA are warning residents to be on the lookout for a team of burglars who are posing as Water Department Employees checking on water supplies that may be contaminated by construction in the area. When the homeowner lets the men in, they run water at all faucets and leave. The homeowner doesn’t discover that he has been burglarized until later.
Police warn that legitimate utility employees will rarely ever arrived unexpectedly. Even then, they always carry appropriate credentials identifying them as city utility workers. If any suspicion remains do not allow them into your home, but instead call the utility company and verify the story.
In another story that seems so unreal, a Hartford, Wisconsin couple is facing felony charges and could spend more than a dozen years in jail because of a scheme they invented to burglarize homes while the occupants were Away At Funerals. The burglars would scan newspapers for obituaries and get names of neighbors and relatives from the obituaries and develop their hit list. How sick is that?
What convoluted schemes to burglarize homes are you aware of that we haven’t talked about? Share any secrets with us!