Looters and petty thieves are a concern today. So, it’s a sure bet, they’ll be a serious problem anytime a crisis strikes. Being able to quickly identify when potential looters are chasing your property gives you the best chance of deterring them and preventing unwanted theft.
Yet thieves are increasingly savvy, and the best ones know better than to take a direct approach to getting their hands on your property. To keep them from taking what’s rightfully yours you need to get a vigilant eye out for the following signs that looters are potentially casing your property.
Strange Vehicles Passing By
Would-be thieves will often drive around looking for potential homes and businesses to loot.
Once they spot a handful in the same part of town, they’ll often drive by multiple times looking for the ones that are the most promising.
You probably already know what your neighbors’ cars look like, and you’re probably aware of their basic schedule. If you start noticing strange new vehicles driving through your neighborhood, with unfamiliar faces behind the wheel, there might be would-be looters casing your property.
Even if you’re not their top target, looters often work in the same neighborhoods and parts of town. They might become increasingly familiar with your property and your schedule while casing your neighbors and local businesses. What you can do to protect your family from being on a looter’s watch is to turn it into a fortress. You can do that using the techniques from this guide, written by a famous Navy SEAL.
Strangers on the Street
Unfamiliar people walking down the road past your house at odd times is another potential warning sign that looters are casing your property. It’s one thing for someone to be walking their dog, or a person who walks to work past your house and then walks back eight hours later.
The same person seeming to casually stroll past your house every few hours should raise your hackles. If you see them stopping to take a look at your home and yards, it should definitely be considered a red flag.
Watch for how they’re using their phone. Would-be looters will sometimes take pics on their phones as they walk by. Pretending to be having a video call with someone, while holding the phone at an odd angle to snap pics of your property!
Posing as Solicitors
More than one casing looter has pretended to be a solicitor or posed as a Jehovah’s Witness to get a sneak peek into someone’s home. They might knock on your door asking if you need someone to cut your grass or rake your leaves. They might ask you if you’ve accepted religion into your heart.
The whole time, their eyes are looking over your shoulder to see what might be worth taking in your kitchen and living room. Listening to hear if you have a dog or signs that someone in your family works from home. I friend a friend who said I should build a tall fence around my house, but this is why you shouldn’t do it.
If these solicitors are walking up at twilight hours, you should take it as an additional red flag. This is usually a sign that they’re testing to see if you have motion lights or looking for the telltale LED glow of security cameras.
A Case-in-Point
When I was a boy a group of thieves posed as utility workers after stealing some hard hats, tool belts and vests from the cable guy’s van. They’d knock on people’s doors posing as cable company workers saying they detected a signal leak coming from the property.
My dad fell for this gimmick and let them in where they poked around pretending to be checking wires and connections. Making sure the problem wasn’t where the wire went through the wall in his closet.
A week later they broke into my dad’s house, and because they knew where to go, they were in and out in minutes. Luckily the neighbor was home and spotted them, but they were still long gone before the police got there.
Tampered Mailbox and Other Exterior Items
Would-be thieves will often watch for signs of no one being home by checking the mailbox or other parts of the property. They’re looking to see if there’s a big pile-up of mail that indicates you’re out of town.
They might also try to stand on things to get a good look into your windows.
They might also go through your garbage can. Lifting the lid for a quick look to see if there are packing materials or boxes from a recent big-value purchase. So, it’s wise to bring your garbage can to the curb in the morning on pick-up day. Not the night before!
This sort of activity is more likely to happen during weekdays when they assume you’re at work or school. So, be vigilant about always getting your mail on time, and then keep all ladders, buckets, and things properly secured inside your garage.
Marks on the Street or Driveway
Sometimes gangs will work in separate teams, where one group does the casing and the other does the breaking-and-entering. The casing group checks a place out and makes chalk marks on the street or driveway in front of a house.
Often, it’s their special code letting the second group know if there’s a dog, or if it’s better to get in through the front or back. There might even be numbers that correspond to your routine schedule.
In some cases, they’ll use natural items. Different colored rocks might mean different things. They place a line of them in front of your house. The white rock tells the thieves you don’t have a dog, a gray rock indicates you’re at work during the day, and a black rock tells them there are no security cameras out back.
You might only see one person walk by a few times and then never see them again. Yet one morning there are some strange marks or a line of rocks on the road. Then you come home from work to find you’ve been robbed by a gang of looters.
Strange Survey Calls
If you have a landline with your name posted in the phone book, looters might try to fish you for information posing as fake survey callers. Another ploy is to offer a free giveaway, that just requires some basic information.
A few years ago, I was chatting with my neighbor who was complaining about all the annoying census calls she was getting. They kept asking her about her tax bracket and the consumer goods she enjoys purchasing.
Then the actual census survey from the government appeared in the mail, and the jig was up. Her video doorbell later caught some porch pirates who were thinking about going further.
Footprints in the Snow & Mud
Sloppy looters and would-be thieves will sometimes case a property not realizing they’re leaving footprints behind.
Some will simply assume that the pattern of their feet will get lost, or that you won’t notice the disturbed area in your grass that they walked through.
Make it a point to memorize the tread pattern of everyone who comes and goes in your family. When a new set of tracks shows up after a dusting of snow, or in the mud on your walkway, you’ll be able to tell if it belongs to someone in your family, or if it’s time to keep a sharper eye out for ne’er-do-wells. Or you can start making these DIY automatic backyard traps and alarms against looters and intruders.
Nosy Neighbors
There’s a famous scene in the movie The Silence of the Lambs where Hannibal Lecter reminds us that we covet what we see every day.
Your neighbors see what you have, they know when you’re coming and going.
They’ve got a good idea when you’ve got something new in your house, and they’ll notice things when they come over for a cup of coffee.
Some people are envious of material things or recognize their value. This is more likely to be an issue with your neighbor’s teenage son who sees an opportunity to make a quick grab. Rather than the overweight middle-aged guy down the street slipping in through an unlocked window.
Even when the neighbors walk by or pop in, keep an eye on where they look. Are they staring at the new TV a little too much or ogling your disorganized vintage record collection? Don’t be paranoid about it, but don’t forget that more than one thief has been invited in before.
A Case-in-Point
When I was 16 someone broke into my mom’s neighbor’s house, stealing a jewelry box, and some stereo equipment and vandalizing the walls. I was questioned by the police and they treated me like they were hot on my trail. Even though I had nothing to do with it.
Luckily the kids at the end of my street who did do it were dumb enough to leave footprints in the snow. The police followed it through the drainage ditch and put everything together.
How to Deter Would-Be Looters
Looters case your property hoping to spot something of high value that they can get easily. In modern times, it doesn’t take much to deter them or get them to move on to some other targets on their list. In desperate times, after a natural disaster, or during a prolonged financial crisis, potential looters become more willing to take risks to survive.
Related: 5 Types of Looters and How to Outsmart Them
The more things you do to deter casing thieves now, the less likely looters will be to target you in a crisis. So, consider adding some of the following things to your home security strategy.
Vary Your Schedule
Even if you have a daily routine of coming and going, make a habit of popping back in, or occasionally stopping home for lunch. Anyone watching your house will be afraid that you might return at any moment.
Install Motion Lights
Add motion lights around your home covering a full 360 sweep of the property. Then set them to react at the maximum distance.
Security Systems & Stickers
Even if you don’t have the money to invest in a security system, making it look like you have one will deter would-be looters. A cheap camera with an LED light in a corner here and a few fake security stickers in the window might be enough to make thieves think twice.
Get a Dog
A big dog like a golden retriever, German shepherd, labrador, or rottweiler that lets out a big baritone bark the instant they hear someone in the driveway is a great deterrent against potential looters. Anytime I see someone suspicious in front of my house, I let my golden shepherd out on the deck to let them know there’s a big dog on the property.
Organize a Neighborhood Watch
A neighborhood watch complete with signs and stickers will scare off would-be looters casing your house and surrounding properties. This gives them the sense that they never know who’s watching, and when. It also lets thieves know that you’re an entire neighborhood united against them. This sort of strength-in-numbers approach is something proven in nature and human behavior.
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