Every year, thousands of people have a blue holiday after their gifts are stolen. A common time of year for home invasions and burglaries in general, the holiday season is a time when people must be especially vigilant about protecting their home and belongings from professional thieves. Taking the measures below will help you avoid becoming the target of holiday burglars who are looking to make an easy score by stealing presents.
1. Don’t Put Presents Under the Tree
Not to be grinchy, but putting holiday gifts under the tree can be an invitation to have them stolen, particularly if the tree is easily visible through a window. If it’s important for gifts to be placed under the tree, considering waiting until the night before to put them there. Burglars are opportunistic criminals who look for the easiest way to get what they want. Putting gifts under the tree can serve as an invitation for them to enter your home.
2. Hide Presents in Unusual Locations
Most burglars like to get in and out of a residence as quickly as possible. Consequently, they target places in a home where valuables are routinely kept, such as bedroom closets and dresser drawers. This is why police recommend people store valuables in unusual places. For example, putting gifts in the closet of your laundry room or behind the HVAC equipment in your basement is better than placing them under your bed or in a bedroom closet.
3. Shop Late Instead of Early
Although your home being burglarized is statistically unlikely, the longer gifts are in your residence, the greater the chance they could be stolen. Shopping early in the holiday season can be exciting, and there are some good sales to take advantage of, but shopping late instead of early is a practical way to prevent gifts from being stolen. If you like to shop for holiday gift early, putting them on layaway and buying them later is a good compromise.
4. Make Your Home Seem Secure
Does your home have a security alarm? Do you have an inside dog as a pet? Even if your residence does not have a security alarm or barking dog, posting a warning sign and a beware of dog sign will still make thieves think twice. As many reformed burglars have said, thieves look for the path of least resistance. If they believe that entering your home will require them to evade an alarm and defend themselves against a dog, there are likely to target a different house.
Each year, thousands of people have a bad holiday after their gifts are stolen. If your community would like to create a pamphlet for residents that contains information about protecting holiday gifts from thieves, a provider of HOA management services can help.
Amanda Causey
Guest Blogger
Staff Writer
