To help keep you and your home safe, we at Boundary have compiled a list of the telltale signs that could indicate a burglar may be targeting your home.
Kidney beans on your doorstep
As weird as this sounds, one of the most recent tactics coined by burglars to keep a house on their radar is to leave a can of spilt kidney beans on the doorstep. Most people would presume that it’s just kids messing around and not think twice about it but this move is no prank; it’s supposedly a test used to see whether or not a property is occupied. After all, you wouldn’t tend to leave a bunch of kidney beans on your front doorstep, so if they’re left there for a while, it soon becomes clear to the burglar that you’re not home.
More ‘old school’ marks
Although it may seem a little dated for burglars to be using signs and marks to show whether they’re targeting a home, they do actually still use these. For example, burglars will use a triangle to show that a woman is living in a property on her own which makes the house an easier target. They’ll also use a circle to indicate a potential place to burgle, but if a burglar was to mark a house with a circle that has a line through it, it’s a sign to steer clear; usually, because the house will have security details such as cameras or obvious alarm systems.
Getting frequent cold calls
It’s becoming increasingly rare for salespeople to just turn up at your door unannounced, with most companies opting for phone calls and emails. If strangers keep turning up at your door, it could be a potential burglar with intentions to scope out your property. If they’re offering services such as window cleaning, roof repairs, or anything else that involves them gaining access to your property, it’s best to turn them down or ensure you do a thorough background check on the person/company that are wanting access to your home.
You keep noticing unfamiliar cars on your road
This one is a bit harder to keep an eye out for as you obviously won’t know of every car that belongs to your neighbours or even their friends and family members’ vehicles. However, if you do notice anything out of the ordinary with the cars coming up and down your road, be sure to make a note of the number plate and if possible, the make, model and colour of the car, as it could be a sign that your home (or someone else’s on your road) is being targeted for burglary.
Keep an eye out for any ‘emergencies’
If someone knocks at your door and says they need help, anyone’s first thought would be to help in any way they can. However, this can often be a scam that burglars use as an opportunity to gain access to your home to scope it out. Burglars will typically make up emergencies such as their car has broken down or their phone has died and they need to charge it to contact someone. While it’s important that we don’t go around refusing to help people to air on the side of caution, it’s important that we’re aware of the things that burglars will do and know how to protect our homes.
