The holidays are full of parties, gifts and special family time, but they also bring an increase in home burglaries. According to the FBI, nearly 400,000 burglaries occur during November and December alone.
Home robberies are usually crimes of opportunity, so if your home is well-protected and difficult to get into (or just appears that way), most burglars will move on. Follow these tips and keep the Grinches from ruining your holidays!
- Use caution when throwing away packaging. This time of year, your trash and recycling can be an open invitation to bad guys to come in and grab the new TV, computer or jewelry that used to be in the box that is now sitting on your curb! Break any big boxes down and hide them as much as you can under other trash. Better yet, wait until trash day to dispose of any big ticket item's packaging so it spends less time on your curb.
- Record serial numbers on any high-end gifts. Take note of as much info as possible on expensive gifts. It's as easy as taking a picture of the gift and serial number and saving it on your phone or computer. Should the worst happen, you will have pictures and serial numbers to share with the police.
- Don't share your travel plans on social media. Headed out of town for the holidays? Don't announce that you're leaving on Facebook. Even posting things like "See you soon, Mom and Dad!" gives burglars a heads up that you will be somewhere else. Switch off your location settings on all social media and if you just can't wait to post pix and out of town updates, change your privacy settings so only friends can see your posts.
- Check your lights. A well lit home is a major deterrent for a burglar. Make sure all outside lighting works. Install motion detectors on your outdoor lights so they will be triggered anytime someone approaches your home. If you're leaving town, put timers on both indoor and outdoor lights.
- Leave your travel plans with a close friend or neighbor. Ask a trusted friend or neighbor to keep an eye on your house, by driving by or stopping in daily. Leave all contact info so they can reach you in case of an emergency.
- Stop your mail and newspaper delivery. Piles of old newspapers and an overflowing mailbox are other dead giveaways that no one is home. Anytime you head out of town, stop delivery on both your mail and paper, or ask a friend or neighbor to pick them up for you.
- Put up an alarm company's sign. Even if you don't have an alarm system, just putting a sign in your yard that says something like "this home is protected by XYZ Alarm Company" will deter burglars from breaking into your house.
- Lose the spare key. Many burglars have easy access into homes by using spare keys found "hidden" on porches in flower pots, fake rocks, etc. Ditch the spare key while you are out of town.
- Check all locks before going out. Whether headed across the country or just across town, make sure all doors and windows are closed and locked before you leave home.
