Whether you’re planning to spend the holidays at home or away, we offer some tips to help avoid becoming the victim of a festive burglary:
- Make sure to close the shades: Keeping the shades closed will prevent strangers from peeping inside. Don’t display the tree too near the window because it’s very easy for thieves to smash the window and grab your gifts.
- Turn the tree/holiday lights off: When you go to bed or when you go out make sure to turn the Christmas lights/holiday lights off so that you don’t attract the attention of a burglar, or fail to notice a fire started by faulty tree lights.
- Unload expensive items inside the garage: Don’t take large, expensive items out of your car in broad daylight. If you have a garage, unload the items there out of sight. If you don’t have a garage unload items when it’s dark out.
- Dispose of boxes and wrapping carefully: Don’t put empty packaging for your new tablet, computer, TV and entertainment system on the curb for trash or recycling to pick-up. This will alert burglars of all of the new valuables in the house. Burglar’s will often come back to steal the replacement items as well.
- Don’t run extension cords through a window: Running an exterior extension cord through a window will leave the window open slightly so you won’t be able to lock it. Make sure to hire an electrician to install an inexpensive exterior outlet for holiday lights.
- Don’t broadcast holiday travel plans: People love to share their whereabouts, travel plans and shopping purchases on social media. Everyone loves to hear it, especially burglars who now know when you won’t be home and the expensive items that they’ll be able to steal.
- Fully insure your home: Make sure that the contents of your home are fully ensured before you take off for vacation. If you do fall victim to burglary while you’re away, you will be compensated for the loss of any items. This also protects your possessions in case anything else should happen, such as a fire or flood damage.
