Thinking like a Criminal: Holiday Security Tips
Santa enters via the chimney. If someone is kicking in a door or smashing a window, it ain’t Santa. Might be the Krampus, mind you, but I still wouldn’t want him in my house. Is it any wonder why home invasions, robberies, and theft go up during the holidays? People are getting all kinds of new things. There’s packages left on door stops. There’s cards in the mailbox filled with cash. It’s easy pickings for your average criminal. It’s also amazing how stupefyingly naive the average person gets during this time of year. As I drive around, I am awestruck by how some people are just opening themselves up for trouble. Most might as well leave their door unlocked with a big neon sign saying “HEY! COME ON IN! i’VE GOT SOME AWESOME STUFF FOR YOU TO STEAL!”
First off, I see a lot of people who integrate their tree into their outside decorations. They put it and the presents right by a big front window with the curtains open. Now, I admit it’s very difficult to tell what’s in a wrapped present. There are some obvious ones, however. Giant, thin 40+ rectangle? Probably a flat screen. Three inch by three inch tiny box? Jewelry. If you don’t think the people who would break in and grab presents don’t have a good idea what box sizes game systems and such come in you’re fooling yourself.
Regardless, with that tree right by the window, it’s a quick smash and grab. Two or three people could empty it out far faster than you would think. Depending on the layout of your house, they could have most of your stuff grabbed and be peeling out of your yard by the time you even make it to the room with the tree.
Easiest solution here: don’t decorate like that! Keep the presents and the tree out of easy sight. I wouldn’t even recommend putting the presents under the tree until the last minute.
Speaking of decorations, having a timer on your outside lights goes a surprisingly long way. You see, if you turn out your lights manually whenever you go to bed, you’re announcing to the world that your guard is down. Having a timer makes it harder to tell when everyone in your house has gone to sleep. Ideally, if you don’t mind the extra electric bill, leaving them on all night is the way to go. It illuminates your yard and house far better and would make it easier for a passerby to notice something suspicious.
If you want to send money to someone, try not to make it an obvious Christmas card. I’ll admit, I haven’t quite figured that one out yet. I’m open to suggestions in the comments below or on Facebook. Heck, there’s always Bitcoin if you want to send cash! As far as packages on your doorstop, the only way to avoid that one is to either be home when they’re delivered by opting for Saturday delivery or opting to pick up the packages yourself from your local distribution center. You can ask UPS and FedEx to hold your shipments at their offices and then you can just go get them from there. Now, that might now be entirely feasable depending on your location but it’s still an option, especially if you’re getting a high dollar item delivered. The other option is to have a trusted neighbor grab them off your doorstep for you.
One other thing I’m seeing is crooks using social media to their advantage. It doesn’t matter how locked down your Facebook profile is, don’t talk about the big trip you’re planning any more than you have to. Your immediate friends might be trustworthy. What about your friends’ friends? You post “going up to my family in [NextStateOver] for a week.” All your friends now know that you’ll be going out of town. Then, one of your friends is talking to a less than reputable friend. The person you don’t know is talking about how they wish they could go out of town. Your friend mentions “I know what you mean. A bunch of my friends like [X], [Y], and [YOU] will be gone for a week.” Less-than-reputable now knows 3 people whose houses will be empty. Think it’s a stretch? A good friend of mine had the exact same scenario happen earlier this year. We’re all excited (or dreading) our holiday travels but this time of year is the worst time to be letting the world know about them.
Finally, and I say this every year: don’t just put your boxes out by the curb on trash day. Cut them up and put them in trash bags or just take them to the dump or a recycling center yourself. Otherwise, you’re telling everyone who passes by what brand new, shiny and valuable items are sitting in your house. As a bonus, your also telling people that they work because if you had to return them, you probably wouldn’t be throwing out the boxes. I tell everyone I know. I tell neighbors (at least the ones I like). I will still see a neighborhood full of boxes the day after Christmas. I’m thinking of making some flyers up for next year.
Stay safe, stay secure, and have a Merry Christmas (or Hanukkah) and a happy New Year.
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