Keep your car keys close at hand.
Are you still parking your car keys on the wall-mounted key ring at the front door? If possible, you’ll want to keep them close to your bedside. That way, if you hear someone in the garage, you can immediately push the panic button on the key fob to sound the car alarm and scare away the intruder.
Buy a fake dog.
Want the security advantage of a watchdog without the barking, walking, training or cleaning? Hang a “Beware of Dog” sign or dog bowl near the front or back door or along the fence to let passersby know that Fido is home and ready to repel crooks.
Check your mail
Nothing tells a prowler you’re away more than a pile of uncollected mail in your mailbox. If you’re on vacation or on an extended business trip, ask the post office to hold your mail or have a trusted neighbor collect it for you while you’re away to ward off mail thieves and burglars.
Take care of your lawn.
Overgrown lawns and shaggy shrubs beautify the environment like unclaimed mail. They signal to thieves that your house is unoccupied, and they provide a hiding place for your possessions. Before you leave, mow your lawn, trim branches and shrubs, or hire a professional to do it for you to give the impression that you’re home.
Keep spare parts safe.
Some people may think it’s safe to hide spare keys to their home under a rock, in a planter on the front porch or in a mailbox. We recommend leaving your keys with a neighbor or storing them in a lockbox outside.
Don’t advertise your name
Putting your name on your house or mailbox may sound friendly and trendy, but burglars may find your phone number from your name and call to see if you are at home. Also, if they know your name, they can make your neighbors think they know you and get information from you, or if your neighbors have your spare key, they can break into your house. It is safer to keep neither your name nor the names of others in your house on your mailbox.
Don’t over-share.
Sharing your vacation plans on social media is a major security mistake because you are letting everyone in your virtual network of hundreds of acquaintances know that your home is unoccupied. Therefore, keep your Maui vacation plans a secret until you get home and then publish them.
Take out the trash.
On trash collection days, prowlers look for homes where garbage trucks have not dumped their trash. To let prowlers know you are home, politely ask neighbors to put out (and return) the trash cans in your absence.
Don’t leave tools outside
Gardening and DIY tools can be used to gain access to your home or can cause harm if they happen to fall into the hands of an intruder. Keep hammers, axes, crowbars, ladders and other tools locked in garages, sheds or other places where criminals can’t get in.
