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Intruder snaps Selfie and disappears

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Remember that scary movie in which the psycho phones the babysitter and says, “Did you check the children?” He was actually in the house and murdered them. Yikes, well that’s just a movie. But sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

SELFIEAs long as people leave doors unlocked, any whack job can saunter into their house. So if this happens to you while you’re putting your kids to bed, like it recently did to a Denver woman, don’t be surprised.

In her case, though, the man didn’t harm anyone, though he still rents a room for free inside the mother’s mind. Yikes again.

One day the woman found a selfie on her cellphone: a pic of a man she’d never seen before, taken inside her house. Though he stole nothing and though she didn’t even know he’d ventured through her unlocked door till the day after, she remains traumatized.

“And he looks familiar to me; everybody else says they didn’t see him but he looks familiar to me; I know I’ve seen him before,” said neighbor Richard Gardner.

Police say the stranger simply entered through the back door, took the selfie and left. Nobody knows who the man is, but Gardner says, “He doesn’t have glasses when you normally see him walking down the street. Maybe they’re a disguise. I don’t know.”

How to Stay Safe in Your House

  • If you hear someone breaking in, call out to an imaginary companion if you’re alone, “Hey Scott (or some other man’s name), can you see who that is?”
  • Call 9-1-1, then leave, or if you can, reverse this order.
  • Maintain a visible perimeter to your home so neighbors can detect suspicious people near it.
  • Get a home security system, then post their decals on front and back entrances and their signs in your yard.
  • Close all windows when you leave, even on a hot day.
  • Get a neighborhood watch going.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

You can have Security in an Attractive Lock

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Who says a good door lock can’t look good? Being that your home is far more likely to be burglarized than you are to be mugged walking down the street, you can’t neglect to have a high security deadbolt for your door, even if you live in a “nice” neighborhood.

decThe deadbolt is a maximum security defense and should be installed on every door to your house, including back doors. You can have the strongest, biggest bolt with Schlage’s Grade 1 product.

But what about the looks of the locks?

Take a look at your door locks. What brand are they? Are they attractive or just your every day door lock that you don’t pay any attention to? It’s time to upgrade!

After all, you take pride in your home’s curb appeal, including its doors. You can have front entry handlesets installed that offer the maximal bolt protection you want, plus the style and flare that you also desire.

In fact, you can even have customized the interior of handlesets with a variety of door lever or door knob styles and finishes.

To complement the deadbolt’s appearance, you can add a number of relevant accessories such as attractive door knockers, kick plates, door stops, viewers and stylish house numbers.

For example, a kick plate can be coordinated with a handleset. The kick plate is a finish at the bottom of a door (often a shimmering metallic style) that prevents scuff marks from shoes.

A wide range of design and elegance is out there for those seeking protective accessories for their doors.

And don’t forget about the choices in appearance you have for your indoor locks. You can, for instance, get a doorknob with an aged bronze finish to compliment your interior’s décor.

Let’s go a step further and consider the deadbolts and other types of locks you’ll need for your business away from home. These days, security can easily be coordinated to accommodate your taste in décor, without sacrificing efficacy of the security.

And by the way, Schlage has a “lifetime finish warranty” for their lock products.

Robert Siciliano home security expert to Schlage discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247.

15 tips to Spring Clean Your Digital Security

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As a security analyst for both off-line and online activity, which is personal protection and information security, I’m constantly analyzing my own security situation. This means paying attention to my surroundings, systems in place, the security of my hardware, software and data. One way to get a closer look at all of this and to get refocused, is to remove the clutter, upgrade technologies, and do a Spring Clean. I heavily recommend that you perform the following 15 tasks for tightening up your digital security affecting your overall security position.

7WClean up and secure your digital life:

1. Do away with useless files. Go through all folders, including the recycle bin, and discard files that you no longer use.

2. Organize media. Put music, photos, etc., in appropriately labeled folders. Maybe create a master folder for different kinds of related media.

3. Consolidate desktop icons. Perhaps you can put a few icons into another one if the topic is related: Put the “Muffin” and “Rover” files in one file labeled “Pets.” A desktop cluttered with icons will slow boot-up time. Consider “removing” an icon you hardly use; this won’t delete the program, but will get rid of the shortcut.

4. Uninstall programs you’ll never use. This will speed things up and reduce potential malware targeted software.

5. Review passwords. Update as necessary, making them unique, never the same, and use different characters upper/lower case and numbers. Install a “password manager”. Google it.

6. Make backups of important data on a flash drive or use online storage. Ideally, make a backup of your prized data that exists outside your house. I backup on 3 local drives and in the cloud in two places.

7. Consider reinstalling your operating system. This means gathering all your software and backing up all your data. Do a search on your devices OS and seek out “How to reinstall operating system Windows/Mac (your version)”

8. Mop up your system’s registry. This will clean out temporary files you do not need that have been picked up by your system over time. An accumulation of these files will slow your computer and make it prone to malware infections. CCleaner is a free tool that will do this job.

9. Update Internet security software. Use antivirus, antispyware, antiphishing and a firewall. Get a VPN for when using free wireless internet. Hotspot Shield is perfect. Google it.

10. Defragment your hard drive. For Windows 8 go to Files, then “defrag.” For older systems go to Program Files, Accessories, then System Tools. For the iOS, run its built-in Disk Utility app.

11. Install program updates. Updates include critical security parches: very important. For Windows go to Go to Start, Control Panel, All Programs and Windows Update. Click on “Check for updates” to see if you are up to date. For the iOS, go to the app store, then Updates.

12. Do not forget your mobile device. Update your smartphone, including weeding out unneeded apps. Update your mobile OS to the latest version. Several companies offer security apps that will scan a mobile’s apps. Some apps have features like a remote lock/locate/wipe that will prevent a thief from using your device should you lose it.

13. Social setting cleanup. Have you locked down how your private information on Facebook can be shared? If not, go to Privacy Settings, then Apps, then click “edit” which is next to “Apps others use.” Delete all your “friends” who really aren’t your friends.

14. Home security system. Upgrade this if it is old technology. New wireless home alarms connect to your network and include home automation features too. This includes surveillance cameras, motion detectors, glass break sensors and controlling lights and temperature. Opt for remote monitoring from any device using apps on mobiles and tablets.

15. Declutter your e-mail files. These can get very messy over time. First start with your in-box. What’s been sitting there for ages that you’ll never open? Delete it. Next go to the sent/trash folders and weed out no-longer-needed emails. Also scour through any other e-mail folders. Delete folders you no longer need, and/or trim down ones you still use but contain messages that are now meaningless.

Follow these 15 tips to spring clean your digital security. A freshly cleaned-out digital life will give you peace of mind and enhance your personal security. Taking the time to clean up your digital life will be well-worth it, so do not put it off any longer!

Robert Siciliano is a personal security expert to SecurityOptions.com discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.

Burglars using Video to stake out Homes

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Yes, burglars do use video surveillance to case homes.

CAMSometimes burglars aren’t not so dumb, like the ones who use video to case homes.

A video camera the size of a matchstick has been discovered in the yards of several homes in North Texas’s upscale Dalworthington Gardens, where there have been break-ins.

According to the Dalworthington Gardens police, a homeowner presented them with the device, which was found near his driveway. Analysis revealed it was video surveillance for an ongoing burglary scheme.

So police established some counter-surveillance. Sure enough, next evening a man came to the home to retrieve the camera. The crook turned out to be a 21-year-old, Cain Santoyo, whose belongings in his car were the tools of burglars: lock picking instruments, a disguise, a stun gun/flash light and multiple surveillance cameras.

Also found was a motion detector that was rigged to a small radio transmitter, which seemed to serve the purpose of alerting a burglar inside a house that the homeowners have returned.

Inside Santoyo’s house, police discovered jewelry hidden in a crawlspace. They had reason to believe he was a burglar casing out homes with his tiny video cameras placed in yards.

Nevertheless, police concluded that this burglar had already sold many stolen items online. They expect that eventually, several burglary charges will be filed.

The police point out that it’s illegal for two parties to be recorded via audio without their knowledge, which equates to another charge!

Lesson learned: If a homeowner discovers an odd trinket, even if it resembles bark from a tree, in their yard, that just doesn’t seem to belong there (it’s the only thing like it in the yard, and its source is unknown), then remove it, and consider having the police examine it. It just might be a tiny video camera that a would-be burglar placed on your property.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Prowler Alert issued

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Two men, impersonating San Jose police officers, waltzed through the unlocked door of a woman’s home and told her they were there to check on her welfare. This happened in the early evening, and the men were described as being Hispanic and 5-7 and 155 pounds. They presented the woman with identification but she smelled a fish.

2BWhile the men were there, she called the Petaluma police dispatch center. One of the men was brazen enough to tell the dispatcher he was checking on the 66-year-old woman’s well-being, then hung up. The men then left the property.

The San Jose police said they had no officers in the Petaluma area, and are urging residents to keep their doors locked—no excuses—at all times. They should also request a photo ID of anyone claiming to be a police officer who’s in plain clothes.

Simple Home Security Guidelines

  • If a stranger is at your door, never speak to that person through an open door or screen door. Talk to them through a locked door.
  • Never allow children to answer the door.
  • Not all home invaders ring the doorbell or knock. Some barge in unexpectedly, so always have the alarm system on, even if it means having to always remember to turn it off when you step out.
  • And of course, get the home alarm system.
  • Have a 24-hour video surveillance system installed. The site of a camera usually scares off a would-be intruder. Cameras should point to all your doors and other access points.
  • Consider getting a German shepherd or other large breed that has a natural guarding instinct and innate territoriality. You may fret at the thought of having to take a dog for walks every day, cleaning up after it, feeding it, etc., but that will be more exercise for you (who doesn’t need more exercise?), a great companion that offers unconditional love, and a superb deterrent to a home invasion or burglary attempt.

Robert Siciliano home security expert to Schlage discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247.

Can Home Invasion of Elderly Cause Heart Attack?

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I’m a home security expert and have given many speeches on how to protect your home from an invasion, but one of the topics that doesn’t seem to get much attention is the possibility of a heart attack being triggered in an elderly homeowner by the stress of an intrusion.

2BHere are two alarming cases of heart attack in the elderly apparently caused by the stress of a home invasion.

Mildred Pollock, age 89, suffered fatal heart failure a week after two men robbed her inside her house, as reported by WALB News 10 of Mitchell County, GA.

Here’s how it all went down: Two men posed as salesmen and showed up at the elderly victim’s door at about 4:30 pm. The men ended up inside her house. (The report doesn’t say if she invited them in; if they invited themselves in and she accepted; or if they forced their way in.)

But for sure, they removed the elderly woman’s alert pendant and held her to a chair, taking her phones away. The men wanted money, found none, and then left.

Pollock called for help with a backup alert button, was taken to the hospital, and succumbed to heart failure a week later. The home invaders face felony murder charges, even though an autopsy showed clogged arteries in her heart.

However, leehighvalleylive.com reports the case of another elderly victim, age 76, who suffered a mild heart attack the night of a home invasion, after which her health rapidly declined and she died several weeks later.

The forensic examiner attributes the heart attack to the stress of the home invasion/robbery, even though the victim had a pre-existing heart condition.

Tips for Preventing a Home Invasion

  • Always speak to strangers through a locked door, never a screen door, let alone open door.
  • Forbid children to respond to knocks and doorbells.
  • Keep a burglar alarm on at all times, but you must remember to deactivate it every time you open a door or window.
  • Install a video surveillance system: a marvelous deterrent to home invasion.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Tips on Getting a Dog for Home Protection

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As a security analyst, I have always endorsed getting a dog for home protection. I’m going to provide some tips on what to look for in a home security dog, but first I want to briefly share a riveting true story that was reported on Madison.com.

2H“Slim” is a police dog. Police in Madison, WI, responded to a church’s burglar alarm and saw a man, Gordon Sullivan, sweating and short of breath. Sullivan denied any involvement with the church break-in. Slim couldn’t do anything at the crime scene where a window was pushed in without something to work with. Sullivan handed over his shoe to the police to take to Slim who was at the church crime scene. Slim then led his handler down the street to where Sullivan was sitting inside a squad car. Good dog! Sullivan was arrested on the spot.

Tips on Getting a Dog for Home Protection

The first tip is knowing what a home security dog is, and is not. It’s a myth that such a canine is always snarling, baring its teeth and ready to pounce and bite. A true protection dog is a very alert animal, loyal at responding to the call of duty.

A true protection dog is trained for this task, even though some breeds are more easily trained in this realm than are others. Breeds like Dobermans and German shepherds have “prey drive.”

Additional tips for getting a home protection dog:

  • Make sure that the animal is safe for family members to be around.
  • Your new pet should also be safe for strangers.
  • The dog should have a sense of when there is a threat looming.
  • You do not want an animal that bites or aggresses for no reason; this isn’t security  —  it’s a potential lawsuit.
  • Do your homework on this entire issue, with the help of these tips. Be a great master and your dog will protect you and your house.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

5 Smart Ways to Protect Your Home from Dumb Burglars

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Having been a home security expert for years, I am always amazed at how dumb criminals could be, but there’s always a homeowner they can outwit, such as in the case below:

3HA man burglarized two houses in Marshall town, Iowa, and then sold the loot on Facebook, says a story in the online Times-Republican. The genius busted in when the homeowners were on a holiday trip, making off with several TVs, DVDs, clothes, even small kitchen appliances.

Here are ways to protect your home from burglars dumb and smart, skittish and determined:

  1. Secure the garage. Many burglars gain entry via the garage. Make sure your automatic garage door opener, if in your car, is hidden from view. Always keep the door locked that joins your garage to your home. Often, this door goes unlocked, creating a weak link in home security.
  2. Have strong doors and locks. Exterior doors should not be hollow-core, but made of metal such as steel, or solid wood. Use a deadbolt lock, and never forget to lock all doors and windows when you leave and also when you go to bed.
  3. Don’t hide keys outside the house; even a dumb criminal will know to look under the flower pot or doormat. Leave a spare set of house keys with a trusted person when you’re on vacation.
  4. Use a home security monitoring system. The screaming alarm is a superb deterrent should a burglar penetrate a portal. All exterior doors should have detectors and motion sensors. This system should be linked to a monitoring center so that trained professionals can promptly send out help.
  5. Don’t advertise your vacation. A would-be burglar can learn you’re away by reading your Facebook page’s posts about your vacation plans. Crooks do indeed peruse social media sites for these kinds of posts. Keep your vacation plans as secret as possible. Put a hold on your mail or have a trusted person collect it. Put a vacation hold on newspaper delivery.

Follow these guidelines and they’ll make a big difference in the protection of your home from intruders.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Protect Your Home without a Gun: Effective Ways

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Yes, you can protect your home without a gun. Having been in the security industry for many years, I have instructed homeowners on proven ways to protect their home without using a firearm. Here are proven ways to protect your home without a gun.

5HPepper Spray

This stuff works. Just getting the mist in your face from it being carried upwind will make you cough and your eyes burn. Imagine what this chemical will do when sprayed directly into the face of a home intruder.

House Watching

  • Have a house sitter stay at your place while you’re on vacation.
  • Arrange to have trusted people drop by occasionally as well.
  • Use a monitoring firm that will send help if an intruder trips an alarm.

Exterior Fortification

  • If possible install flood lights, particularly near secluded portals.
  • Employ a motion sensor that flips the lights on.
  • Plant thorn-bearing brush under windows and other areas where a burglar might creep around.

Get a Dog

  • Not only will the homeowner be awakened by even a tiny dog’s frantic barking when it hears/smells a stranger on the premises, but it will get the attention of neighbors. Many a burglar will flee when little Princess begins yipping like mad, let alone Duke.
  • If the dog alarm goes off, call 9-1-1.
  • Grab the baseball bat or golf club (that you have at your bedside) to prepare for possible defense.
  • Don’t get ahead of yourself with swords or weaponry you’re not trained to use, or that look effective but can’t be swung in limited space.

Cameras

  • Arm your perimeter with a complete surveillance system.
  • Security cameras, when detecting motion, can emit a siren or lighting that can alert the homeowner via a smartphone.
  • Use apps that allow you to view your home from your mobile device.
  • Install cameras inside your house as well.

Home security system

  • A home alarm screams when you can’t.
  • Home security systems call the police when you aren’t able.
  • Home security alarms deter intruders who fear they might get caught.

If guns make you feel unnerved, you just learned how you can protect your home without a gun.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

DIY Home Security Automation is easy

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Take home security seriously—before the break-in. If you’re up for a great DIY project, get going with home security.

3HReinforce doors. What you see in cops and robbers TV shows is true: Doors really can be kicked in. But not if they’re reinforced with easy screw-on upgrades that can resist even a kung fu master. Start with a door guard plate. Next, a door jam reinforcement will replace the weak pine door frame with a steel inset. Of course, replacing a wooden door with a steel door would really add security. For an added layer of protection, install the Schlage Touchscreen Deadbolt to your front door. It is the only Z-Wave compatible lock to feature a built-in alarm system, producing warning alerts to homeowners prior to their home being breached.

Strengthen windows. A window with a smash-proof coating will repel a thrown brick or whacking pipe. The coating is a film that’s applied like a big sticker. A determined burglar may be able to crack the window, but the film will hold the pane in place, preventing entry.

Landscaping. Though shrubs can deter intruders, they can also shield them from neighbors if overgrown. Make sure that branches are trimmed. To add security, illuminate areas around bushes and trees with flood lights.

Garage. Never leave the garage door opener in your car exposed because thieves can get into your car if it’s parked outside…and you know the rest. One solution is a Wi-Fi garage door opener so you can control the door with your phone.

Surveillance cameras. The latest technology allows you to remotely view your premises. Your phone will receive an alert from these cameras when they detect motion or sound nearby; you’ll be able to see what’s going on in real-time.

Locks. It can take only 15 minutes to replace an old lock with a keyless one such as the Schlage Touchscreen Deadbolt. Its features ensure that your house is locked, and unlocking is a snap, all via a number code. Just assemble the lock and put it in. It’s rare to have to drill more holes.

Robert Siciliano home security expert to Schlage discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247.