Don’t Be the Next Victim

Breaking into and robbing someone’s home has always been a very low thing to do, so there is no such thing as an honorable burglar. However, there is a such thing as a burglar stooping to the lowest of lows and that’s when they break into someone’s home during a funeral.

This is a terrible act that is happening all around the country. Burglars are scouring the obituaries, getting the names of the next of kin so they can target their homes while they’re gone. Recently, one woman went to her mother’s funeral. When she returned, her home had been broken into and electronics were missing.

Straight from the Burglar

One of the comments the robbery victim made was, “I wish I had a home security system.” She then lamented about how her neighborhood has always been relatively quiet. Break-ins aren’t common there, so the need for a security alarm simply wasn’t something that had ever crossed her mind. She lived in the community her entire life, so such things as surveillance cameras, motion detectors, and a security alarm were never priorities.

Many of the once safe communities around the Rochester area have noticed an uptick in break-ins, which takes away the sense of security that many people once had.

What burglars are doing is going through the obituaries and looking for spouses, children, or grandchildren of the deceased. They can identify them on social media where they can find out their age. By simply knowing a person’s age, they can do a people search on the internet and find an address.

It is that simple.

Obituaries provide a lot of information about survivors, such as what cities they live in and who their spouses are. It can also be easy to identify which children are theirs. This makes it much easier to identify the exact person referenced in the obituary. The burglar knows that those individuals will not be home during the service for at least a couple of hours. They then case the house and determine how their plan will be executed.

Preventing Burglaries During Funerals

It is important to do what you can to avoid a burglary during a funeral. In just a matter of minutes, a burglar from go from the obituary to looking at your home via Google Maps to find vulnerabilities.

Here is what you can do:

• Invest in surveillance cameras. Not only will they help you when you are at a funeral, but also while you are at work, out of town, visiting a friend, or doing anything away from home. With remote access, you can keep an eye on your home while gone. When a burglar arrives, you can capture their face.

• Have a security system installed. When a burglar accesses the home, the alarm will sound and the authorities will be alerted. Most of the time, an alarm runs a burglar off very quickly.

• Have someone watch the home while you are gone. It is good to have a friend come by to keep an eye on things if you are going to be gone for a while. If a burglar sees someone is there, they aren’t going to come inside.

• If someone can’t house sit for you, tell your neighbors you’ll be gone so they can keep an eye on things.
• When your home is under surveillance or has an alarm, make it known. You can post notices or alarm signage outside of the home, which tells burglars that they don’t have a chance.

Contact An Experienced Rochester Alarm Company

Don’t fall victim to funeral burglars. Even if you feel your neighborhood is safe, you never know when someone will take a chance and break into your home while you’re gone. This is a terrible trend that is growing in frequency, but you can cut the burglar off at the pass by calling SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348 and seeing how home security can keep you, your family, and your property safe.