Friday, February 21, 2025
Weird Stuff

'I'm a reformed burglar – I would always target the same types of houses' – The Mirror US

An ex-burglar has revealed the kinds of homes she used to target and shared some tips on how to protect your property from theft. The 26-year-old, who remains anonymous but says she spent two years behind bars for her offenses, confessed that her life of crime began at age 18.
Down on her luck and struggling with homelessness, she developed a drug addiction and turned to robbing houses to support her needs. She opened up about her past on Reddit, detailing: "I've since gotten sober, got married and have a beautiful little girl. I have a job and we are living a very happy life. It's a struggle still, but I'm in a much better place mentally."
When asked about her criteria for picking out vulnerable homes, she said: "I avoided houses with dogs outside out of fear that it would bark and alert someone. Realistically dogs bark at everything though and I know now it wouldn't be an issue. If the house had cameras I would avoid them for obvious reasons.
"The houses I looked at most were the ones that didn't have cars in front during the day and had a backdoor entrance. I used to have a method of entering through doors by removing the door frame, but moved to a more practical approach of just breaking a window. So climbable windows were another big plus."
She suggests that homeowners can take several measures to prevent theft, such as installing security cameras around their property. She further explained: "Security cameras are a good deterrent. Alarm systems too, though people should educate themselves on how to properly use them. Ring cameras are good too for facial identification. Leaving a TV on can also give the impression that someone is home, and you're more likely to be left alone."
Regarding vehicle safety, she advised: "Visible dash cameras pointed at the front and rear of the vehicle are a good deterrent for a lot of thieves, myself included. It's not a fool proof system though. But it can help. Personally with vehicles, I would only steal from them if they were left unlocked. Just wasn't worth my time." She warns that burglaries are most likely to occur during daylight hours, debunking the myth of nighttime hits.
She stated: "When I cased a house it was always during the day. When someone cases a house at night it's usually for more sinister purposes (I'm not trying to scare you). But there could be several reasons for this. Get a door stop lock. They slide underneath your door and make it a lot harder to open. Invest in a good dead bolt. Buy cameras for the front and back if you can. You can get them pretty inexpensive."

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