Before you head out of town or to visit relatives, you may want to take some security precautions to keep your home safe even if you have a security system. Many home intrusions are considered crimes of convenience. If a criminal thinks your home looks like an easy target, you might get a rude awakening when you return. Enjoy peace of mind with these tips to make your home look occupied while you’re away:
- Ask a neighbor to help. If you have a neighbor you can trust, work out a buddy system when one household is away. Ask your neighbor to check your mail, water your plants, and check locks. Criminals often look at mailboxes to determine whether a homeowner has been by the house recently.
- Turn on the radio. You may use satellite radio, your phone, or your television when you’re home, but a simple old-fashioned radio will do the trick when you’re gone. Turn on a talk radio station loud enough that voices can be heard from outside the home.
- Keep a light on. Invest in some motion sensor lights outside and/or some timed interior lights that are scheduled to come on for a few hours at night. Intruders prefer dark, empty-looking homes to target and can’t tell the difference between you turning on a light and a strategically placed timer.
- Check the phones. If you still receive calls through a landline, consider diverting calls to your cellphone or setting the ring on the lowest volume possible. Phones ringing off the hook are a pretty good indicator that nobody is home.
- Reorganize your household schedule. You may think about your home’s cleaning service or landscaping schedule before you leave. Do not leave a message on the front door. Arrange for services beforehand or keep important numbers in your cell for a quick call on-the-go.
- Avoid posting on social media. Wait until you are home from vacation to post those great beach pictures or to detail the highlights of your adventures. Unfortunately, many potential intruders could be people in your own network, and giving them updates about your whereabouts could be a go-ahead to ransack your home for valuables.
- Be wary of notifying the police. At one time, many experts recommended telling your local police department if you are away. Today, it’s far too easy for the information you pass along to be stolen or hacked. Only talk to police if you trust that your information will be secure.
- Invest in a modern alarm system. Today, home security systems are designed to keep up with the latest trends in home intrusion. With some, you can even keep an eye on your home while you’re away through a secure, mobile portal.
(Original article found on allsecured.net)