A smart new trick lets burglars know if you’re home or not. Here’s how to flush it out.
Burglars use their imaginations to find ways to get into homes. The latest: a small pile of potting soil on the doormat or doorstep. It sounds simple, but it’s actually quite clever. Burglars use this method to check if the inhabitants are at home. If so, the residents would indeed have removed the soil. If they haven’t done it, they are absent.
Burglars often use such tricks to assess whether they can act. Think of the duct tape, the small branch or the piece of paper at the door frame: if they are still there after two days, it means that the inhabitants have been away for a few days. Sometimes they also place small pebbles on the path in front of the door.
Some 211,400 home burglaries were committed in France (excluding Mayotte) in 2022, more than one every 3 minutes. This figure marks an increase of 11% over the previous year. Burglaries take place all year round, but Covea, a mutual insurance group, identifies an accentuation of the phenomenon during the holidays in July and August as well as during the end of year celebrations. Contrary to popular belief, the insurer explains that burglaries take place in nearly 8 out of 10 cases during the week and generally during the day.
Are you planning to go on vacation soon and are you worried about a burglary? Here are some tips to reduce risk:
