POLOKWANE – Just like everyone else, burglars have also moved with the times when it comes to using technology as a tool to make their “job” easier.
According to convicted burglar and thief, James Nelson, burglars get the most valuable information on their potential victims by keeping an eye on their Facebook accounts.
Gone are the days when burglars would walk around the neighbourhood or hide in the bushes near a home watching the comings and goings at a certain house.
These days, Nelson said, burglars garner valuable information from Facebook. “You might think it is amusing to leave comments such as ‘gone fishing’ or ‘leave the mail at the door’ when you go away on holiday, but this information could be detrimental to you if the wrong person sees it,” Nelson warned.
He said another way thieves gained information on a potential victim was by looking at what was in their motor vehicles and in their refuse. “Window stickers often depict how many people and what dogs there are in a certain home, while opened mail lying on the dashboard is also very useful. Throwing out the boxes that appliances came in will also give a thief an idea of what there is for him to steal,” Nelson explained.
“It’s a sad fact that most of the information about a target comes from the target himself, without him even realising it,” Nelson said.
He said a lot of planning went into breaking into a house and, in many cases, a potential victim would be watched, followed and investigated for months before the actual burglary took place. “Burglars make use of people like security guards, grocery packers and paypoint personnel, who will give them information about a person’s routine in exchange for a colddrink or a lunch. In some cases, they are even paid in cash once the ‘job’ has been completed,” he said.
What criminals look for when gathering information for a burglary:
• Stickers depicting family members and pets will tell burglars the size of the family;
• Empty packaging that contained appliances will tell burglars what there is to steal;
• Regularly using the same routes to work or school will give burglars the chance to follow you and could make you the perfect target of a hijacking;
• Leaving opened mail in the car will tell a burglar your address.
• The type of car you drive will tell the burglar how well off you are.
• Putting your home address on your GPS will give criminals information on where you live.
• Receipts for expensive items will give criminals an idea of what to steal.
