Don’t Be the Next Victim of Funeral Burglary
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 referred to as “Funeral Burglary”
This is a terrible crime. It happens all around the country. Burglars look at obituaries. Then, they find names of family members. Next, they target their empty homes. For example, one woman went to her mother’s funeral. When she returned, burglars had broken into her home. Her electronics were missing.
Straight from the Burglar
The victim regretted her lack of security. She wished, “I had a home security system.” She explained that her neighborhood was always quiet. Break-ins were not common there. Therefore, she never thought about a security alarm. She lived there her whole life. So, cameras or motion detectors were never important.
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 give out a lot of information. They tell burglars about family members. This includes where people live and who they married. It’s also easy to spot their children. Thus, burglars can easily find the right person from the obituary.
Burglars know these people will be gone. They won’t be home for hours during the funeral. So, burglars watch the house. Then, they plan how to break in.
Preventing Funeral Burglary
It is important to do what you can to avoid a funeral 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 become a victim. Burglars target funerals. You might think your neighborhood is safe. But, someone might still break in while you’re away. This bad trend is happening more often. However, you can stop burglars. Call SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348. They can show you how home security keeps you, your family, and your property safe.
