There are no days that houses are safe from burglaries and thieves. It is essential for burglars to assess the homes they intend to barge in so they can identify the perfect prey and ideal times to sneak inside. Be mindful of unusual activities and indications outside your home to not be victimized by these possibly harmful people and keep your home and family safe from terrible incidents.

Burglaries are common in the United States with an estimated 1.1 million reported cases to the FBI each year. Family homes and residential residences are the usual targets of 63% of these break-ins. Installing home security systems may give you a piece of mind but don’t be too confident. Because once these robbers have their eyes on the prize, it’s now or never for them. They can have a smart mind that one cannot belittle.

Check out these clues and hints someone may be spying out of your home in preparation for a heist.

1. Unusual stranger around the house

Burglars frequently investigate many residences at once. Identifying people inside the houses is a piece of cake for these people. They have a keen observation of the time the homes are unoccupied and if a house has a security system installed.

But don’t be too suspicious of the people passing by your street as there won’t always be crooks among these strangers. However, when you notice certain unfamiliar people repeatedly looking over your home and wandering on the surroundings, then that is fairly odd. It’s a major warning sign if you observe the same stranger secretly carrying out this behavior on several occasions.

2. Unidentified parked cars

If you notice vehicles in your area that are unfamiliar, stop and think about who they might be visiting in your neighborhood. Isn’t it odd that they have their cars parked outside of the allotted parking spaces instead of outside of the homes they are visiting? Just to be sure, take note of the plate number of any strange vehicles parked in such a manner. In the event that something wrong happens, you will have solid proof to provide to the police.

3. Handing out or leaving flyers on the doorstep

A classic method for thieves is to leave leaflets and flyers in every house on the block. Later that day, they will return to see if the flyers have been received by someone. This will show them which properties look to be occupied and which seem to be vacant. Additionally, they may learn a lot about the residents’ schedules without having to spend the entire day keeping an eye on them.

If someone slips a flyer at your door and you suspect your home may be being targeted, see if your neighbors also got one. Otherwise, this is a clear indication that someone may be scoping out your home for a break-in.

4. Conducting a house to house surveys

Thieves who are very brazen will go door to door, frequently pretending to be conducting a survey. They may go around a whole neighborhood and get crucial information on who lives where and what time they come home and leave.

This technique gives robbers access to see what is inside each residence as they are a foot away from entering your home. They are made aware of your items and know if one’s home has a dog to keep the house safe and a lot of other details that might help them determine if it would be worthwhile to break into your house.

People can be easily manipulated by surveyors who may seem approachable and kind and tend to give out information without doubt such as their family size and occupation. Giving such sensitive personal details to strangers should always be done with caution since you never know how they could utilize it.

5. Pretending as a service provider employee

Another method is a pretentious thief who portrays themselves as a service worker for a chance to enter your house. They’ll say that your internet service needs to be updated, that they need to check your gas or electricity meter, or that they have to conduct some type of reading inside your house.

For a huge company, don’t you think it is unprofessional to send one of their employees unannounced to your door? With this, you may ask for their company’s information courteously, and request a reschedule because the service provider didn’t notify you in advance of their arrival. If you phone your service provider and they don’t have any information about the visitor, then the “employee” may have actually been a thief trying to break into your house.

6. Calling out for help

It might be difficult to turn away a person who is in need at your house. It makes sense to be dubious at first, regardless of whether they claim that their car broke down, that they urgently need to use the restroom, or that they are experiencing a medical emergency. But remember that you still have the last say.

You can always say “no” if you don’t feel secure with a stranger entering your house. Simply refuse them admission if you don’t feel secure with a stranger entering your house. Let them know that you can assist by contacting the police or calling for a tow truck to help you. A person with a genuine approach will understand and comply with this right away, but a thief who only wants to break into your home won’t. If they start being forceful or hostile, contact the police before anything bad happens.

7. Home vandalism

Criminals may lightly vandalize your house to see the resident’s reaction just in case a break-in occurs. A throw of rock through your window may be done by a juvenile but don’t disregard this, because it may be a test to see if your house has a built-in security system and to see how you would act in this kind of situation. It will become significant information if your window remains broken for a few days. Burglars are very eager to know if the authorities will react immediately or if a neighbor can be easily disturbed by such noise they created.

Outdoor lights are usually a target for them, too. In order for them to break into your house at night undetected, thieves may destroy or remove your light bulbs during the day. Never disregard this matter if you ever encounter them. These signs may indicate an upcoming robbery attempt in your house.

8. Random friend requests and followers on social media

Robbers have adapted to the new technology and modified their ways of knowing if a home is currently empty. With the help of social media, they can identify the resident’s whereabouts as people nowadays openly share their information with the public. Burglars utilize these to their advantage.

Avoid sharing such personal information on websites or social media accounts. According to a Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, at least 65% of home invasions are carried out by an individual known to the victim. Therefore, your Facebook pals are more likely to break into your house than a total stranger, statistically speaking. Watch out for the engagements you have on social media especially, unknown accounts that are following you. On Twitter, for example, a complete stranger may follow you just to find out when you’re not at home.

It is expected for people to be away from their houses when it’s the Holiday season, may it be a family getaway or a company Christmas party, so this is the optimal time for criminals to make their move. To know how to keep your house secure while on vacation, search the web for a guide that you can follow to keep your belongings safe.

9. Unusual receiving of calls at often times

Thieves may see whether you are home or not by calling your home’s landline number. If you answer the call, they will often hang up. If you regularly receive these kinds of calls, it may be a sign that a burglar is actually targeting your house.

You may install a home security system for safety and to ease up your mind. Cove, a security system, can help you if ever you‘ve received such calls. A variety of options can be provided to you by Cove such as 24/7 monitoring and the capability to communicate with live agents through the system’s live touch panels whenever you feel anxious.

10. Taking pictures of your home

Be alarmed if someone starts taking pictures of your house as they must be capturing the valuables that they can get or the security system you currently have for your family’s safety. The ideal method of entry for a thief may involve looking for holes in the system. This can be a window that isn’t protected by the system. To ensure the house and residents’ safety, choose a security home system that is installed properly, such as ADT. Also, feed your knowledge of what features are crucially needed for home security by researching the Internet or asking professionals.

To Sum Up…

Just about 12% of robberies are plotted properly according to the study of a University in North Carolina. Robbers usually check an area to decide which residences are the most vulnerable and those that don’t have security cameras. You can determine if someone is checking up on your house by taking notice of the activities that do not happen on regular days. Pay attention to vehicles or people you don’t usually see around your neighborhood. Thieves can gather information about you or your house while you’re away from home, like disguising themselves as survey-takers, checking your social media accounts, and simply giving out paper advertisements. So, be mindful of these techniques. Most importantly, only allow visitors into your house if you know them personally.