So itâs only natural weâd want to keep our house and the valuables inside safe from thieves.
But according to former burglars, there are some big safety mistakes weâve been making.
These mistakes were revealed in a thread on Reddit, which asked those with a criminal past to share the number one place people should never hide their valuables.
More than 13,000 people commented on the post, hereâs a look at what some of them had to say.
One person said: âLED lighting is cheap these days.
âIf your house is gonna be vacant for a while, consider investing in one of those smart-lighting home automation systems where you can set different rooms to turn on and off at different points in the day. (Kitchen during dinnertime, bedrooms at night, etc.)
âMy neighbour did that and it fooled me. I rang his doorbell to ask to borrow a pressure washer wand, with no response. Figured he was with family and wasnât taking any more visitors, but turns out heâs been on vacation for the past four days.â
Someone else wrote: âDonât leave things out that people can see from outside your home or car.
âIf you buy a new TV or computer, break down the box it came in, donât just leave it by your garbage bin.â
A third advised against small lock boxes.
They commented: âItâs great when you find one because theyâre simple to open and if they donât have a wall safe then all of their main valuables and money are usually in it. Jackpot!â
And donât underestimate the importance of keeping your shed locked, as a different user pointed out: âEven if your house is locked, if your shed isnât, I likely have access to a plethora of tools I can use to gain access. Donât help the burglar. Lock your shed.â
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Another person reminded people not to store their spare keys near the front door, as itâs so obvious.
âDonât keep spare key near front door, under plant pot, under door mat or top of door frame, etc.â
A sixth explained how their cousin had a sneaky plan to confuse burglars.
They said: âMy cousin lives in a bad neighbourhood, so she went to a thrift store, bought an obnoxious looking jewellery box and a bunch of expensive looking costume jewellery thatâs actually worthless and put it in the box.
âShe keeps this in a conspicuous place. Then she leaves a few 20s on top, this way if someone actually breaks in, they will grab this and run, ignoring some of her well hidden valuables.â
And finally someone claiming to work for the police recommended figuring out how you would break in to your own house, as it will show you where youâre vulnerable to thieves.
They posted: âWhen I was a student I was really bad at locking myself out of the house and would regularly need to break in.
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âIâve climbed the back fence to access a back door I suspected was left unlocked, used a piece of card to flick open the locks on sash windows, managed to wriggle down an old coal chute into the cellar, etc.
âEach time Iâd fix the problem but next time I was faced with the need to get inside Iâd find another way in. Itâs a very helpful exercise to test your security.â
Source: Mirror