Every winter, people warn each other that they shouldn’t announce on social media when they will be on holiday. Burglars might be keeping tabs on Facebook or Instagram and find out that way when you will be gone for a longer period of time. That way, they know exactly when they’re safe to make their big score. But now, they’ve got another way to find out when you’re gone for a while.
Recently, this new burglary trick has gotten some attention and the police have taken notice. This is a popular trick among burglars because it can help them determine whether someone’s home or not.
The burglars place a small piece of plastic in the lock of your front door. If they come back and the plastic has been removed, somebody will probably be home. Is the piece piece of plastic still there after a couple of days? Then the owners are probably on holiday and the burglars know they’ve got all the time in the world to steal whatever they like.
The police warns people about this technique and asks everyone to carefully check their locks. Don’t just check the front door, but also check your back door and any other doors that lead into your home. Are you going on holiday soon? Ask one of your neighbours to check your doors for any suspicious signs, like pieces of plastic, but also for more conspicuous stuff like things sticking out of the mailbox or things looking like trash on the doormat.
It’s a smart move to ask somebody to mind your house when you’re away, even if you don’t have any pets or plants to take care of. Ask a neighbour to check the doors and to take the mail out of the mailbox and put it in a place out of sight from the outside. Also make sure you don’t leave any spare keys outside (in fact; never do this, even if you’re not on holiday). This way, you can go on holiday without having to worry.