Thieves Hit Real Estate Open Houses

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Here’s a strange proposition; place an ad in the local paper requesting complete strangers come to your home and look inside your kitchen, bathroom, your kids room and your bedroom. In the ad tell them how nice the house is and you want them to see it from 2-4 on Sunday afternoon.

Then, to make it even more interesting, have another stranger (or someone you only have a brief relationship with) show them around the house. Meanwhile you go out, run some errands or have lunch.

Keep the block of knives on the counter and leave everything pretty much where you normally would and when you get home maybe it will still be there. Sound like a sound plan? It’s one that thousands of people execute hundreds and thousands of times a year.

Open houses are (in my mind) a weird process that is otherwise a good way to bring attention to the sale of a home. If the homeowner is smart, they will hire a professional real estate agent to facilitate the process. However, the homeowner often puts too much faith in the real estate professional to protector their belongings. This is a big mistake and a false sense of security.

No offense to the real estate professionals, many of them don’t really understand what they should and shouldn’t do in regards to “securing” your stuff.

I present about 50 programs a year to real estate agents on this topic. I always ask “what would you do if you saw someone steal something?” Inevitably I get responses where agents would say “I’d tell them to put it back!” Alrighty then. While this is the “right thing to do” it’s not the right thing for the agent to do. Because now the thief has to decide how bad they want the stuff and they now have to determine what it’s going to take to keep it. Giving a thief an ultimatum may result in violence.

The Aldergrove Star reports “These crimes are committed by thieves posing as potential homebuyers attending open houses or walking through homes for sale with a realtor. The thieves will distract the realtor, perhaps asking for a tape measure, and while the realtor facilitates the request, property is pocketed. Property targeted during these thefts includes laptops, jewelry, designer purses, small electronics, and other miscellaneous items.”

Real estate agents should not consider themselves in any way “security guards”. The home owner in no way should consider agents responsible for protecting their stuff. If you are a homeowner or a real estate agent, have a discussion that includes the following tips:

  • Hide or remove your valuables and medications.  If it can be easily stolen and has resale street value, then remove it.
  • Request your real estate agent bring additional agents. There is always strength in numbers.
  • Protect yourself from identity theft. Remove or lock up bills, credit card receipts and bank statements.
  • If anyone ever steals something and you see them, run out of that home as fast as possible. If a person is crazy enough to steal from an open house, then they are crazy enough to commit violence.  There is nothing of monetary value on the planet that I would fight for.
  • Put signage out saying “Property Under Video Surveillance”
  • Always check the security status of home security systems, doors and windows before and after a showing. Make sure they are all locked and the hinges are still in the doors.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security and Identity Theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.

Safety Tips: Home Burglary Prevention

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My AC is on, that means it’s summer time. It also means that occasionally the windows may be open, and because we are in the yard the doors sometimes are unlocked. As a result we are slightly more vulnerable to the bad guy. But this doesn’t mean that your guard should be down.

The FBI reports that more burglaries occur during the summer months than any other time of year and that every home is a potential target. According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, an American home is broken into about every 15 seconds. The best defense against burglary is prevention. With planning you can help make your home unappealing to burglars.

Patrick Fiel, public safety advisor of ADT Security Services said, “There are a few simple, yet important, steps homeowners can take to make their homes less of a target.” To help homeowners secure their homes this summer, Fiel and ADT recommend the following home burglary prevention tips:

· Secure your garage. Garages can provide intruders with easy access to your home. If you have an automatic garage door opener, make sure you protect the remote control and never leave it visible in your car. Also, be sure to lock the door that leads from your garage to your home. Many people do not lock this door, creating a weak point in their home security.

· Equip your home with strong doors and locks. Exterior doors should be made of steel, other metals or solid wood, which are able to withstand more of an impact than hollow-core doors. Deadbolt locks offer the best protection from picking and prying. Always make sure to lock your doors and windows when you leave home.

· Never hide keys around the exterior of your home. Thieves look in mailboxes, under doormats and above doorways for keys. Do not make it easy for them to get into your home. If you will be out of town on vacation, leave emergency house keys with a trusted friend or neighbor.

· Consider a monitored burglar alarm system. A recent Rutgers University study found that alarm systems are an effective deterrent, making a home less attractive to intruders. Make sure your burglar alarm system includes a loud inside alarm, detectors at all exterior doors and motion sensors. It’s also important to have monitored protection which links your home to a monitoring center where trained professionals can quickly notify first responders. Most insurance companies also offer a discount of up to 20 percent off homeowner’s policies for monitored alarm systems.

· Never let burglars know you are away from home. As you plan for vacation, you may be tempted to post updates on social networking sites, including specific dates and times of your vacation. But criminals have been known to troll these sites for vacant homes and unsuspecting victims. Always keep your vacation plans as private as possible and have a trusted friend or family member collect your mail and check in on your home while you and your family are away.

Fiel said, “As summer starts to heat up, we hope these tips will help you prevent home burglary and protect your possessions before, during and after your vacation.”

Mr Fiel certainly knows his business. It’s your businesses to take responsibility for yourself and your family and make sure your home is safe and secure. It’s not enough to use the old adage “why do I care if my stuff is stolen, insurance will pay for it” because insurance doesn’t reimburse you for the hollow empty feeling of being violated. For many people who are burglarized, they often never want to step foot into their homes again.

Furthermore, in the heat of the summer many burglaries can turn into home invasions if the burglar didn’t know you were home. That’s when things can get violent.

Know your options. Don’t sit back and say “Its cant happen to me”. Sit back and say “American home is broken into about every 15 seconds, mine won’t be one of them.” Enjoy the summer months, relax, have fun and be safe.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel. Disclosures.

My Mexican Travel Security Ordeal

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Mexico has made the news over and over due to their “Narco Wars”. 10’s of thousands have been murdered and kidnapped in many of the border towns all the way down to Acapulco. So where do I vacation? Mexico. It’s an easy trip, its economically smart, it’s usually warm and sunny, the foods good, the people are great, and there’s always a good story to tell. I do my homework and understand where the risks are and aren’t.

I don’t stay in the border towns. That’s where a lot of the bad stuff is happening. Border towns are mostly landlocked, so no ocean, and there isn’t much as far as vacationing goes. We like the beaches and prefer southern resort towns that cater to making me happy.

In my last Mexican adventure we were picked up at the airport by a car service recommended by the hotel. I usually get in the front seat so I can see where we are going and I like to have a little control. I put my laptop and backpack up front with me, but then the wife asked me to come to the back seat, which I did. But there was no room for the bags, so they stayed up front. The van was clean, and the ride was the typical “white knuckler, hold on for dear life, the driver is a nut, and when was the last time this thing had its brakes checked.”

When we got to the resort we were swarmed with hotel help/bellmen pulling our bags out of the van. As I’m counting bags and counting kids and on my way back to the van to get my 2 other bags, the van drove away. My laptop and backpack were still in the front seat. ON THE FRONT SEAT. There is no way the driver didn’t see the laptop on the front seat. I frantically went to the bellman to call the security dude at the entrance to the property to stop the van. Ten minutes goes by and they said he must have gone another way because he never went back through security.

I got the car service on the phone to call the driver and they said he wasn’t answering his phone. Of course he wasn’t answering his phone, he was selling my laptop. 20 minutes goes by and I fear he’s got this thing hocked. Then another driver from the same company pulled into the resorts entrance and I flagged him down. I told him to call the driver and tell him I left 2 bags in the van. He called, the driver picked up the phone. Nailed. He answered for his buddy but not his boss.

He showed up 20 minutes later. When he pulled up he was dismissive and rude. He knows he was “caught” but didn’t even offer a response. My laptop was now on the front floor of the van, the bag had been gone through and the backpack was in the back seat of the van. He obviously tossed it there.

I never told resort security, the bellman or the car service over the phone that “my bags” that were in the van consisted of a laptop. But when resort security and the bellman saw me pull the laptop out, they all nodded their heads shaking them and proceeded to understand why he drove off.

Moral of the story: if you don’t want it stolen, don’t leave it out of your site. Because any opportunity to distract you and take your stuff, the bad guy will.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security and Identity Theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.

Burglary Raises Fears; Is It Safe to Leave Home?

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This is so awfully crazy that I just have a hard time believing someone can be so deceitful and so stupid at the same time.

“A one-time Royal Caribbean sales staffer, who used information about clients’ trips to burglarize their homes while they were cruising, is definitely fodder for chatter. And nothing’s more on topic today than this debate: Should we worry that information about our own travels away from home could fall into the wrong hands? While today’s consumers are well versed in the dangers of “virtual” robberies — identity, credit card numbers — this situation reveals the possibility of more physical theft, in which individuals with access to cruise lines’ reservations systems can match trip dates to home addresses and identify houses to burglarize.”

“A Royal Caribbean employee abused her position with the cruise line to identify customers away on cruises and then conspired with her husband to rob their homes during the first nights of their vacations. She was caught, arrested and charged with multiple counts of burglary, and the cruise line has since fired her.”

The bad guy is always looking for a way to steal from you. They will stop at nothing to take what’s your and make it theirs.

Contrary to what some might suggest, I’ve never thought it was a good idea to place your name on a “stop mail” list at the post office. Because some crack head postal employee now has a list of opportunities.

It’s the same thing with stopping delivery of your newspaper. Once you are on that list, it is known you are away.

The best case scenario for both issues is to have a trusted friend, family member or neighbor grab your mail and newspaper for you.

Never list your vacation plans on social media. The last thing you need to be doing on Facebook is telling the world you are 2000 miles away.

Do all the fundamentals like invest in a home alarm system that sends an alert to local law enforcement that your house has been broken into. Monitoring is generally a buck a day. I spend more than that on cookies.

Set yourself up with home security cameras. Mine can be accessed from my iPhone and online. It’s kind of addicting, and I’m always checking out the scene at the homestead when I travel.

Put lights on timers to give your home the “lived in look”.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

Woman Suspect in Pot Stealing Home Invasion

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It’s not often that I see “woman suspect” and “home invasion” in the same sentence. Home invasions are mostly done by Cro-Magnon men who are one step out of a cave and temporarily in society until they go back to jail. Police released a sketch of an armed woman accused of stealing two medicinal marijuana plants while a 19-year-old woman was home.

The report goes on to say it was two woman and two men, which makes a little more sense. All is right with the world again. The Mercury News reports the teen was in the bathroom at the time and was ordered to the ground and briefly held captive while the house was pillaged. They stole the pot plants as well as electronics.

The teen was not harmed. Luckily. The pot plants belonged to the teen’s mother, who is a medicinal marijuana card-holder.

California has led the charge to legalize weed for medical purposes. And many a quack provides medicinal marijuana cards to anyone who has even the slightest ailment.

A side effect of having the law past has led to many such crimes. Even though it’s semi legal, it’s still worth something substantial on the street. So if you tug on the whacky tabacky to sooth your aching whatever, it would probably be a good idea not to broadcast your prescribed pot.

Home invasions are best prevented by locking your doors all day and night and having a home security system installed and armed. Oh and on another note, if you have pot plants it’s probably not a good idea to have them in the window getting sun.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel. Disclosures.

Chicago: Homicides up, Citywide Crime Down 5.8 Percent

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Thanks to Al Capone the infamous gangster, The Windy City has long been known for organized crime dating back to the 30’s. In concentrated areas like big cities, crime is often a factor. But as proven in New York City, effective policing can reduce crime. Chicago seems to be making positive strides in managing its crime climate as well.

Law enforcement in Chicago just announced there was an 11.2 percent drop in violent offenses and 4.2 percent decrease in property crimes. However the 164 recorded homicides in 2010 are six more than last year at this time, an increase of 3.8 percent.

The Chicago Suntimes reported “Homicides have continued to challenge us,” their Chief said, adding that the department will continue to deploy officers to areas where there is a probability of violent crime. “The safest place for your children is in your home under your supervision,” he said.” Chicago police also seized 3,513 weapons, which were 189 more than last year. It breaks down to an average of nearly one weapon recovered an hour for the entire year so far.”

Imagine if they didn’t get those weapons off the streets.

They further reported there were nearly 2,000 fewer property crimes, a drop of more than 4 percent including a drop in theft at 9.8 percent and burglary at just under 1 percent.

Taking into account the small rise in murders, the overall drop in crime is impressive. Whether you are from a little town or a big city the most effective way to reduce crime is to take an individual responsibility in your own personal security by reaching out to local law enforcement and finding out what systems they may have in place and what kind of information you can bring back to your neighborhoods.

Attend neighborhood watch meetings that may be sponsored by the local police. Work to get everyone on the same page in regards to monitoring your neighborhood to seek out suspicious behavior and report incidents that may lead to crime. Take direct responsibility for yourself and your family by installing heavy duty locks, locking your doors, and install a home alarm system.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security and Identity Theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.

Brazen Burglars Broke into the Same House Three Times in a Week

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In the first hit they made off with a television and four-figure sum of cash, plus a key to the garden shed.

They came back, let themselves into the shed, and took garden tools but were spotted by the returning home owners.

The GazzetteNews reported the homeowner investigated after noticing the shed door was open, and saw four people in the park behind the house, two of them were holding the tools stolen from the shed and the group ran off.

The burglars then made a third attempt on the house and caused damage to the property.

Local law enforcement well aware of the ongoing break-ins assembled a team of detectives to thwart the property crimes and to try and break the pattern.

Their strategy is to visit well-known suspects, keeping tabs on their whereabouts and doing what they can to “divert” these individuals from crime.

“They also work closely with victims, providing them with support and giving them advice on home and personal safety.” “Anyone who has had to deal with a burglary will know that it’s not just the financial loss that is difficult; more often than not, items of huge sentimental value are taken, so it also has a huge emotional impact too.”

“This is completely unacceptable and the teams will be doing all they can to prevent this from happening to residents in our communities.”

Bravo to all involved in the effort to preserve the sanctity of citizen’s rights to safety and security.

But what’s missing in this story is the homeowner being proactive and doing something to keep the burglars out in the first place. Often a home alarm monitored at a dollar a day will do the trick. In my case, first my cameras see them coming day and night and that notifies me with an audible alert. Second, once they get close enough the German Shepherd lets me and them know she is ready. Third, the doors and windows are all locked. Fourth they need to get through the home alarm system and if they trip it, the local police are called.

If they do make their way in, the Shepherd knows what to do next. Me? If I’m home I’m taking the family out of there as quickly as possible and heading to safety, then pizza.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

Phishing Scam: Using the U.S. General Commander in Iraq as Phish Food

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Fishing of course is the sport of tossing a tasty wormy baited hook connected to a fishing line and patiently waiting for a fish to take the bait.

Phishing is the sport of tossing a wormy baited tasty lie connected to a wormy human and the degenerate patiently waits for a naïve victim to take the bait.

A phisher can send thousands of phish emails a day and eventually someone will get hooked.

Phishing is a $9 billion business. Unlike the ongoing depleting of the ocean’s fisheries, there are PLENTY of people out there to phish. Many of them today are from developing nations like India and China who are just getting a broadband connection to the internet and are considered fresh meat to the bad guy.

The New York Times reports “if you get an Internet appeal from Gen. Ray Odierno, the senior American commander in Iraq, asking you to pay lots of money to get your son or daughter out of combat duty, don’t believe it. And certainly don’t send the $200,000. General Odierno acknowledged that he is but one more victim of a social networking scheme offering a big — but fake — benefit, if you send big amounts of real money.”

“I’ve had several scam artists on Facebook use my Facebook page and then go out asking people for all kinds of money: ‘If you pay $200,000, your son can get sent home early,’” General Odierno said at a Pentagon news conference.

Criminals may seek out military families and target them one by one or send a blast to thousands at a time and use a ruse that pulls at the heart strings of unsuspecting families who simply want their loved-one back home.

The General posted a large warning on his social networking site. “I have this big thing on my Facebook that says, “If anybody asks you for money in my name, don’t believe it,” he said. “But it’s a problem.”

Frankly, I don’t like the idea of an American General having a Facebook page. It weird’s me out. Hopefully the high commander isn’t uploading pictures of himself doing shots of tequila while driving a tank.

My guess is there is someone out there who has the money and is probably acutely unaware of this type of scam, then is probably capable of getting hooked.  But more than likely nobody will cough up $200,000. But the scammers know to start high and they will go low. They will take a $1000.00 when it comes down to it. But they also know that people won’t argue with a General and nobody will “discount” the value of their loved-ones life. So overall it’s a pretty good scam. Just don’t take the bait.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Facebook scams on CNN. Disclosures.

Youngsters Put Art into Crime Fight

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We’ve heard it a thousand times, “Children are the future.” “If we hope to solve the world’s major problems — achieving world peace, healthy lives, economic development, and global sustainability — we must provide richer learning opportunities for the world’s children. An educated and creative population is, without a doubt, the best path to global health, wealth, and peace.” MIT.

Children have been learning about crime prevention by taking part in a police poster competition. A neighborhood police team fostered an anti-burglary message that will be on display in their community.

Their Sergeant stated: “We launched this competition at the school last month as a way of increasing awareness of the simple measures people can take to protect their home from burglary. We were delighted with the standard of entries and hope that the children will be able to pass on to their parents all the tips they have learnt and used in the posters.”

Brilliant! Children teaching parents. Children often display a very intuitive common sense to issues that parents sometimes complicate. They see things as they are opposed to whatever blinders or filters parents see through due to life experience, or life’s baggage.

“The winning posters will be used in the local community so you will soon see them in places like the library and shops.”

Traveling though Logan Airport in Boston I was drawn to a similar campaign that involved drug and violence prevention education. Children expressed what they viewed in their local communities as penciled and water colored art.

Consider this kind of strategy to bring attention to personal security in your community.

Keep in mind too, children may not always have the answers. Today, a 4 year old I know and love when asked if she wanted a banana for breakfast responded “It’s foggy today, I don’t like bananas on foggy days.” Or maybe she knows something I don’t.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.

Crime Prevention: Sheriff Offers Variety of Security Programs

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Talk about proactive law enforcement. “The Clay County Sheriff’s Office in Jacksonville Florida area will help residents “burglar proof” their homes, offers a vacation house watch program and will make presentations on a variety of crime prevention topics. The Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Section will send a deputy sheriff to your home at a specified date and time to conduct a burglary prevention survey. These deputies have been specially trained to assist residents in making their homes much safer places to live, according to the release.”

Now that’s exactly what every municipality on the planet should require of their law enforcement. Many do, but with budget cuts etc, programs like this often suffer.

Check this out; they have a “House Watch” program. A deputy will check your home daily when you are out of town or on vacation. That’s a first! I’ve never seen an official declaration of the local law offering it up in this way.

They also give presentations on the following topics:

Starting a neighborhood watch program.

Reporting a crime: My guess is what to look out for and how to document it.

Computer Safety: Certainly how to keep kids safe.

Computer Crimes: This is probably preventing viruses, hackers etc.

Robbery Prevention: When thugs use guns at convenient stores, gas stations etc.

Burglary Prevention: Home safety tips, Home security alarms etc.

Auto / Vessel Theft Prevention / Boating Safety

Child Safety / Stranger Danger Presentation

Bicycle Safety / Rodeo

Holiday Safety

Residential Crime Survey

Commercial Crime Survey

This just warms the cockles of my heart. If I was you I’d print this out and take it directly to your local police and ask them what they are doing that might meet or beat the offering in Clay County. This is a fantastic way to foster safety and security in any city or town.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel. Disclosures.