Whats Next: “On Demand Burglary”

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Generally when a burglar or thief sets out to break into a home their motivation is to steal any item they can sell at pawnshops or to those on the “black market”. The phrase “black market” has always intrigued me.   It means doing business “in the dark” or out of the view of law enforcement. Any underground economy where business is done illegally or with illegal goods or services is considered the black market.

There has always been a black market demand and there always will be. Certain things like illegal drugs are a staple of this economy. “On Demand Burglary” refers to items that someone may have had their eye on and the thief meets that demand. On the low end one might envision a bicycle a neighbor just bought for his kid and on the high end an expensive rare painting a collector wants.

The BBC reports a man in the UK was injured when he walked into his home and surprised three men armed with a sledgehammer and a crowbar robbing his house. They stole money, jewelry and the family’s valuable pet Chihuahua. The family has offered a reward for the return of the dog which is called ‘Bruce’.

The homeowners’ son was quoted saying “They took mum and dad’s wedding ring and a wee bit of money, but the thing that has really vexed them is that they have taken the wee house dog called Bruce and it’s that, that has really upset them.”

Local Police were quoted saying “The belief is that these robberies are ‘on demand burglaries’ where robbers are stealing to meet orders”.

Consider for a moment if you spent the time to research an item then went out of your way to buy it, it is certainly in the scope of a bad guy to target it and take it.

Protect yourself and prevent a home invasion:

Nothing you own is worth fighting for. If someone ever wants your stuff let them have it.

If you ever walk in on a burglar turn around and run out of the house. The quicker you leave the safer you will be.

Consider what you own that might catch the eye of a criminal and who that criminal may be and what you need to do to protect it.

Invest in a home security system. The concern is protecting life and limb first and protecting your stuff second.

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

Home Security Source: Knowledge Is Definitely Power

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Crime and violence are generally not fun topics to write about or read about. Discussing a bloody home invasion isn’t exactly inspiring, nor does it make good dinner time chat.

Events like these are only “entertaining” when fictionalized in TV and movies and make for a gripping arms length “who dunnit”.

However the fact is these things do happen and sweeping these issues under the rug is no longer an option. For as long as I can remember “personal security” was always one of those misunderstood issues that our parents didn’t have any answers for.

The extent of our safety and security training revolved around “look both ways when you cross the street” and “don’t talk to strangers”. And it pretty much stopped there. For years and years I sought out a comprehensive resource to keep me updated on all issues personal security, however there was none.

And then there was HomeSecuritySource.com. Home Security Source is one of the few online resources with solid information on home and personal safety with new content every day. It’s a community website with the goal to offer the latest information to help homeowners to keep their homes, valuables, and family safe.

Home Security Source is your one stop to learn all about home security.  It’s where you can find information about the latest news, security products, and any information that relates to your safety.  On top of our large (and growing!) information, we also provide local crime maps for your area.

And to top it off I’m contributing all my research from over 20 years alongside stellar industry professionals dedicated to their craft.

It’s important to understand our culture has always been one to trust others and see the good in people.

While this civility has prompted us to get along and live in relative harmony, it also created a negative side effect of people putting the proverbial bedtime “sheet over their heads” so the monsters wouldn’t get them. This head in the sand, “it can’t happen to me” mentality has allowed the bad guy an upper hand for decades.

A change in attitudes is reflected by the success of Home Security Source. People want to know the truth. They feel they need to know their options and how to protect themselves and their families.

Here is an idea on how HomeSecuritySource.com has grown:

When comparing September 2010 data to an average based in the first three months, it’s possible to see:

  • Visits increase of over  400%
  • Page Views increase of over  580%
  • Unique monthly visitors increase of over 480%
  • Over 800 sites have sent traffic to the site.  Thanks to our awesome team of writers, HomeSecuritySource.com is mentioned in popular news and informational  sites

Today more than ever the bad guy knows that you are watching him. His job isn’t as easy as it used to be. Citizens are empowered like never before with the knowledge and tools to take control of their lives and protect themselves and their families. Armed with the Home Security Source, knowledge is definitely power.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures

Just One Day in the Boston Globe

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Sometimes all you can do is shake your head and wonder how we have managed to get this far as a species. Scanning today’s paper I couldn’t help but notice the total mayhem that makes up one day of news. I bring this to your attention not to sensationalize or provide the “bad news” but to make you grateful for what you have and hopefully motivate you to go out and do something positive to help your community. It also might make you think twice about your personal safety.

October 6th 2010:

Hundreds mourn victim of Mattapan shootings

Simba Martin’s family huddled around his shiny, pewter-colored casket yesterday morning, their cries of grief filling the small red-brick church on Highland Street. Near the altar, a female relative shouted “why’’ repeatedly as she slumped in the embrace of a family member.

Death of Vt. woman is called a homicide

WATERBURY, Vt. — A body found in the woods Sunday by two bird hunters has been identified as that of a missing 78-year-old woman, and police called it a homicide yesterday.

Judge sets rules for N.H. slaying trial

CONCORD, N.H. — Three men who have acknowledged their roles in a deadly home invasion in which a woman and her daughter were stabbed and slashed dozens of times will be allowed to testify about the plot leading up it, a judge says.

Onetime serial arson suspect accused of setting office on fire

PLYMOUTH — A Brockton man who decades ago was a prime suspect in the torching of dozens of churches, VFW posts, and other buildings in the area south of Boston was accused yesterday of setting fire to a federal probation office Monday night.

Man allegedly stole more items from grandmother after theft

A Braintree grandmother’s house was robbed Monday afternoon, and police said that as they arrived to investigate, the victim’s grandson stole more items and tried to have a friend pawn them while blaming it on the original burglar.

1 student robbed, 1 nearly abducted

One Bay State College student was robbed and another was the victim of an attempted abduction in two separate incidents yesterday afternoon, police said. Boston police spokesman David Estrada said that at about 2:30 p.m. an 18-year-old student was walking out of a Subway restaurant on St. James Street when he was robbed by a man armed with a knife.

Man ordered held in statutory rape case

A 31-year-old Tewksbury man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in August after sending her sexually charged text messages for a month pleaded not guilty yesterday, officials said.

Man sentenced for trying to lure teen

A Dorchester man already convicted of sex offenses against children was sentenced to up to five years in state prison and 10 years’ probation Monday for attempting to lure a 13-year-old girl who was on her way to school in 2009

Man convicted of killing three in 2007 Conn. home invasion

NEW HAVEN — A paroled burglar was convicted yesterday of killing a woman and her two daughters in a 2007 home invasion in an affluent Connecticut town and now could be sentenced to death.

Wow. Nuts! It can be a mad, mad, mad world sometimes. But being kind to someone takes less effort than being evil. Choose wisely. And please, think about home security and what systems need to be in place to protect your family.

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

Be On The Pulse of Your Home Security

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Being on top of what is new and ahead of what is next in technology has always been my thing. I had a beeper the size of a pack of cigarettes and a mobile phone bigger than a shoe box.  I’m somewhat of a gadget geek. I like new and shiny. However, when it comes to all these new technologies I am far from a first adopter.

First adopters are the ones who camp out overnight, wait in line and generally spend lots of money on something not ready for prime time. Sometimes there are flaws with new technologies that need to be worked out before you should get involved in them. My suggestion is to always let others make the mistakes and learn from them, and then you benefit from what they went through.

When it comes to home security and home automation, there have been many innovations in these technologies, most of the mistakes have been made and lots of them have gone the way of the wooden nickel.  ADT has taken their time and carefully orchestrated the best of the best technology and combined home security and home automation and created ADT Pulse. This is a “ready for prime time” technology that has learned from everyone else’s mistakes.

ADT Pulse is a new interactive smart home solution that goes beyond traditional home security to provide a new level of control, accessibility and connection with the home.

Connectivity and interactivity are driving the way people live and manage their homes.  ADT Pulse provides customers with anywhere, anytime access to their home via smart phones or personal computers, including an iPhone application to:

  • Arm and disarm their home security system.
  • Get notified of alarms and selected events via email and text messages as well as video clips.
  • View their home through cameras and watch secure real-time video or stored video clips of events from monitored areas of the home.
  • Access lights and appliances or set schedules to automate them.

All of these options have been around for years, but nobody has gotten them right until now. If you travel for business, have a vacation home, go away for the weekend or simply want to check in while you are at school or work, this technology is for you.

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

11 Ways To Prevent Home Invasions

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Strangers and posers: You tell your children not to talk to strangers, so why do you open the door to a total stranger? And never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Home-invaders pose as delivery people, law enforcement or  public workers.

Distress: If someone is in distress tell him or her you will call the police for them. Don’t open the door for them.

Make a call: Under no circumstances do you open the door unless you get phone numbers to call their superiors. Even if that means making them wait outside while you call 411.

Money, jewels and drugs : One simple reason your house is chosen is someone tipped off the home-invader that you have valuables. You may have done it via social media or your friends or children or baby sitter might have unintentionally bragged. In states where medical marijuana is legal that may be an additional consideration.

Peephole: Install peepholes, talk through the door.

Do not call the police!: If you live in a high crime area where law enforcement takes a while to respond, and if someone is trying to break into your house while you are in it, calling the fire department will sometimes get help to the scene quicker. Do this only if you are desperate. Firefighters are not equipped to handle violence. However squealing sirens can deter a criminal. And call the police!

Get armed: Having a non-lethal weapon in the form of a Taser or a Pepper spray in close proximity to your bed or front door can debilitate your attacker before they gain control. But realize these can be used against you.

Have your mobile handy: Consider a second line or a cell phone in your bedroom. Burglars sometimes cut phone lines and often remove a telephone from the receiver when they enter a home.

Get alarmed: An alarm system activated while you are sleeping will prevent a burglar from getting to far. And keep it on 24/7/365. With a home alarm system on, when someone knocks on the door, a conscious decision has to be made to turn off the alarm. Most people will keep it on.

Locks: Call a qualified locksmith to take a physical security survey to help you determine the most efficient way to lock up. Many products on the market are a false sense of security. A qualified locksmith should be a professional associated with well known manufacturers.

Cameras: Install a 24-hour camera surveillance system. Cameras are a great deterrent.  Have them pointed to every door and access point.

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

Triple Murder Home Invasion Testimony Ends

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This is just a bad, bad story with no happy ending.

There are home invasions, then there is this home invasion. Just when you think humans can’t get any meaner towards each other there is Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, the 2 men accused of a home invasion in Connecticut in 2007. Hayes and his lowlife accomplice allegedly met at a halfway house. They saw the mother (who was eventually murdered) in a parking lot one day and followed her home. A total random act.

The home was invaded at 3am. The father was immediately beaten and tied up in the basement. The father was held captive for a time but he escaped alive. The kids were tied to their beds and the mother was forced to go to the bank and withdraw money.

While at the bank the mother told a bank representative what was happening. The bank called the police who sent cruisers to the scene.

The police were outside for over 30 minutes to prevent the murderers from escaping. At one point the home invaders assaulted one of the children then killed the mother. They set the home on fire and the 2 kids died from smoke inhalation.

The NY Times reported that the state’s attorney John A. Connelly had “described the case as the ‘most horrendous murder in the state of Connecticut in the last 30 years,’ adding, ‘There are about five ways you could charge capital felony.'”

These guys might get the death penalty. But will justice be done? No. There is no justifying the death of a woman and two children and no justice in the prosecution or even death of the accused. And the father of the deceased, he will only mourn his loss, while he might crack a smile if they are prosecuted, he will never celebrate.

I can tell you right now my home security system will be on when I go to bed tonight. And then some.
Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show. Disclosures

Criminal Hackers Steal Victims Home

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A sophisticated scam left an Australian business man with a half million dollars stolen when criminals sold 2 properties and almost a 3rd using his stolen credentials. This kind of scam is happening in the U.S. too.

The business man had been overseas for a while and his neighbor contacted him at one point because his home was on the market and being sold. When the business man started investigating the non-permissioned sale, that’s when he realized the other properties had been sold and were no longer his.

The thieves, were believed to be Nigerian, and had enough information on the man to allow the real estate transactions to go through.  It is believed the criminal hackers got into his email account and obtained his personal identifying information along with his property documents which enabled the criminals to sell the houses.

Reports state the transactions were made virtually via email, telephone and fax, without any physical contact between the owner and anyone else. In this scam the owner, the real estate agent, banks, and various government agencies were all duped.

The system of checking and verifying identities in this case and in others often fails.

Advice to prevent this type of crime is often directed towards real estate agents who are used as the pawn in the transaction and do the dirty deed for the scammer.

In the very least agents should request a photocopy of a driver’s license or passport before listing a home for sale when doing business virtually. Other suggestions might be verify signatures using a notary or checking existing documentation and compare signatures. Look at deeds for alterations and get them from the title company.

More importantly it is essential that the homeowner meet the real estate agent for a face to face meeting. Airfare can’t cost more than a few thousand dollars and when doing a half million dollar transaction it makes sense for everyone involved to make this a priority.

But the best thing and probably the most effective solution when doing a full blown virtual transaction is to contact a lawyer wherever the seller may be and require the seller to verify themselves through a competent lawyer or other professional who can review and certify the sellers credentials.

Homeowners have a different set of responsibilities.

First and foremost make sure to invest in title insurance. Title insurance should cover legal bills associated with this type of scam. Check the policy.

If you plan on leaving your home or investment property vacant for any period of time get friendly with your neighbors and request they alert you in case your property goes on sale.

Do the same with local real estate agents and request they do an occasional drive by. Have that same real estate agent check the MLS listing occasionally looking for your property to show up on the market.

Invest in technology. A home security camera solution that alerts you to any activity on the home can give you a sense of there is any mischief. Motion sensitive cameras can alert you to any activity via text or email and can be viewed remotely via a mobile phone or internet connection.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Woman Drags Naked Intruder By His Beard

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‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’…then there is this woman.

They say “never hit a woman”.  The reason is because women don’t just hit back, they keep hitting back until they are done with you. Plus it isn’t cool.

“A 64-year-old woman fought off a neighbor and dragged him out of her house by his beard after he let himself into her Kansas City home and took his clothes off. The woman said she awoke about 12:50 a.m and found her 62-year-old neighbor standing over her naked, as she tried to throw him out, he allegedly grabbed her throat. She picked up a tape measure and bonked it against his head three times. He left.”

Moment’s later police found him outside crying. I think I’d cry too after a bonk on the head and a whooping like that.

Resistance in this situation worked out for the victim.  At 64 she decided she wasn’t going to sit back and allow the intruder to make advances on her in any way.

What is important to understand is in any attack situation the victim actually has a lot of control over the outcome if they react within the first 30-60 seconds. What the victim does in that initial time frame can allow them to gain control over the direction of the attack. The attacker generally goes into the attack thinking the victim will be submissive but when the victim is confrontational the attacker is usually not prepared for that.

This entire situation could have been prevented if the homeowner had a home security system installed and beefed up her doors and windows with the appropriate locks. Now THAT is taking control.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing self defense on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Police Warn Burglars Are Using Social Networks

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The sage advice used to be “don’t tell the world you are on vacation via your outgoing answering machine.” Then we pretty much eliminated answering machines and the advice pertained to voicemail. As we got more technology, the same message was don’t tell the world you are on vacation via your emails auto responder.

For a few years now I’ve been warning people about how vulnerable they are when they post their whereabouts in social media. And it looks like the bad-guy figured it out and is taking advantage of peoples’ naiveté.

In Nashua, NH, police busted a bunch of burglars they say used Facebook as a tool to gather intelligence on who is home and who is not home.

“Police said they recovered between $100,000 and $200,000 worth of stolen property as a result of an investigation.  Police said there were 50 home burglaries in the city in August. Investigators said the suspects used social networking sites such as Facebook to identify victims who posted online that they would not be home at a certain time.

“Be careful of what you post on these social networking sites,” said Capt. Ron Dickerson. “We know for a fact that some of these players, some of these criminals, were looking on these sites and identifying their targets through these social networking sites.”

It is obvious to me that none of these homes had home security systems, alarms or cameras. Due to the fact they were successfully burglarized. And once an intruder enters your home and does their dirty deed, your “castle” and how you feel in it is never the same.

Protecting yourself is real simple. Be cautious about what you post on social media and consider an investment in a home security system.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Social Media and giving out to much information on the CBS Early Show. Disclosures.

World War II Veteran Fights Off Suspect in Home Invasion

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An elderly World War II veteran fought off a man who had broken into his home and attacked the Marine veteran.

The Boston Herald reports the Vet was sitting in his living room watching TV and his wife was upstairs. The home invader comes in and attacked the Vet, then “as he was being attacked, the man shouted, drawing the attention of his wife who then called police while the suspect fled when the retired Marine fought back.”

Immediately the state and local police went into the neighborhood and found the perpetrator “soaking wet and had fresh blood on his white t-shirt and cuts on his hands and was found to have property stolen from the home”.

Everyone loves a happy ending.

Resistance in an attack has been proven in most cases to send the attacker fleeing. Resistance can be a tricky proposition whether or not a weapon is involved. As long as you survive, you’ve done the right thing.

Every family must have a plan for home security and a home security alarm.

Consider a trained German shepherd as a protection dog as well.

Another consideration is a home safe-room also known as a “panic room” where families can hide out in a relatively bullet proof, well stocked room equipped with wireless communications and wait for law enforcement to show up.

Never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Always talk to them through a locked door.

NEVER let children open the doors. Always require an adult to do it.

Not all home invaders knock, some break in without warning.  That’s just another reason to have that home alarm on while you are home.

Install a 24-hour camera surveillance system. Security cameras are a great deterrent.  Have them pointed to every door and access point.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show. Disclosures