How Burglars Pick A House Of High Value To Target Using The Internet

Many people are unaware of how burglars pick a house to target. In the 21st century, the internet makes their targeting much easier than ever before. This post shows how simple it is for a burglar to pick a house using a few simple internet searches.
It’s scary. But the good news is there’s a lot you can do to combat burglars and keep your home and family safe. Despite the frailties of the internet!
How common is it for burglars to use the internet to choose a house to target?
We can be forgiven for thinking that burglars are opportunists. But this is not always the case. In the Evening Standard, Superintendent Sean Wilson of the MET explained:
“Criminal burglary gangs are well organised, …[they] work in teams and look on the internet.”
Ex-burglar Mike Fraser said: one way burglars do this is by monitoring property websites. The websites displaying your home to prospective buyers can be used as a virtual tour for burglars planning their next heist.
Burglars monitor social media to pick a house to target
In the 21st century it is well known that careless Social Media habits make your home vulnerable to burglars. A famous example concerns John Terry’s Instagram holiday snaps. These revealed he and his family were skiing and their home was empty. This allowed an organised gang of burglars to take advantage.
You can avoid this sort of thing happening to you quite easily. Just leave the posting of your holiday snaps until you get home. Simple. But it’s not just social media a burglar can use to choose his next victim!
How burglars pick a house… using the internet
An article on the My Property Guide website demonstrates how a determined criminal can plan a burglary without going anywhere near your home.
Selecting an area to target
The National Census website holds information about all properties in the UK and their wealth. A determined burglar can spend time deciding where to focus efforts.
Google Maps and satellite imagery
Excellent for planning trips away it can help a burglar select a house to rob with an easy escape route.
Taking a closer look
A quick scan through a few government sites allows the burglar to find recently sold properties. Ideal. There will be a lot of information on property websites.
Then the burglar can search for the entries on these property websites for the targets that interest him. He will see photos from outside and inside the house at the time of the sale. AND often there will be floor plans too.
These can be used to plan entry and exit points. For example, the bad guy can locate uPVC doors which are often left open.
Burglars like to target small expensive items such as jewellery. These are usually in the master bedroom, easily found using the floor plan. The burglar can be in and out of even a large property more quickly with this knowledge.
Further pictures show that the master bedroom has a Juliette balcony. So if he is disturbed he can get out escape via the garden.
All of this information from a short session on the internet. Scary!
Did you realise just how vulnerable the internet leaves homeowners? Particularly high net worth home owners. Using the internet in the way described is how burglars pick a house of high value to target.
So what can you do?
You need to ensure your Home Security is up to scratch.
Eastern will happily arrange a free, no obligation site survey. Every house is different, especially so for large dwellings. The nooks and crannies mean an out of the box security kit will leave your home vulnerable. This will show you how to secure your property and make your home undesirable to even the most determined burglar.
One of our friendly security experts will survey your entire property and will recommend an appropriate Security System. This can employ a CCTV and Intruder Alarm system controlled from your Smart phone. In addition, you may want to consider automatic gates and a door entry system to secure access from the street.
Complete the form below. One of our friendly security experts will be in touch to arrange a site survey at your convenience. Make sure that any burglars using the internet to target your home are scared away!