Do some burglars mark houses to indicate that this is a house to keep an eye on for an upcoming theft? There is a belief that they may also mark a car if they want to steal that, too. Perhaps this is just an urban legend that isn’t actually true.
Marking houses for burglary is something burglars use to identify a potential house to break into and rob but doesn’t necessarily refer to a physical marking. It could involve stuffing flyers or a newspaper in your mailbox and checking back to see if it’s emptied in a timely fashion. A thief may also ring a doorbell to see if someone is home to determine when a home is likely to be empty. Whether thieves have a widely used code with markings that they leave behind on a particular home has yet to be definitively proven other than anecdotally.
But suggesting that thieves visit a house beforehand to learn about the home, its residents and the area is not just a myth but a proven tactic that some burglars do use. Burglars case houses to see which one(s) is the easiest mark.
Marking Houses For Burglary
Marking for houses for burglary is a contentious subject. On the one hand it’s presented like an urban legend where thieves have secret codes that they all use to mark houses for a future theft. It seems far-fetched and also difficult to believe. Why would a thief increase the risk they get caught marking a chalk line or similar on a person’s house? And for what purpose?
It’s more likely that a seasoned thief will identify a home to rob by driving or walking past the house to notice certain things that can help them identify whether or not it’s a house worth targeting.
Many break-ins are spontaneous while others are planned. It isn’t unreasonable to think that some thieves visit a house before robbing it to get an idea of when the home is likely to be empty and even to case the area to see how busy it is. The less people around, the less likely they’ll get noticed and caught.
Is Your Home Being Marked?
How can you tell if your home is being marked? Certainly if you were to find chalk markings or some other indicator that you didn’t do and it doesn’t appear to be have done by a child playing, that could mean something. But there are other more subtle things to be on the lookout for.
Filled Mailbox
Finding old flyers or a set of flyers randomly stuffed in your mailbox that you already brought in (ie. a second set was put in your mailbox) could be a potential sign of something amiss.
Emptying your mailbox in a timely fashion lets people know the house is occupied even when on vacation which may require the help of a neighbor.
Unexplained Visitor
Having someone you don’t recognize ringing your doorbell and then telling you they went to the wrong house is another common sign. Thieves often ring a doorbell to see if anyone is home and make up an excuse when you answer.
Unsolicited visitors may also use a door to door sales trick to ring your doorbell pretending to sell something. They really want to peek inside your house and see if it’s worth robbing while you are speaking with them at the front door. Check to see if they are looking at you or looking past you inside your house scoping it out.
Strange Cars and People
Thieves may also park a car outside or down the street from a particular home to watch the goings on and see when people come and go from each home. If a car has tinted windows, parks and no one leaves the car for a period of time and then drives off, this could be cause for concern. Taking a license plate number down might be in order just in case.
Someone you don’t recognize walking or jogging past your house who seems to be paying more attention to the homes than they are to the direction they’re moving in is also something to keep an eye out for. You don’t want to paranoid but you can be vigilant for thieves who are casing houses.
Strange Phone Calls
While the Yellow Pages isn’t as popular as it used to be, it isn’t difficult to match a phone number and address using the Internet and people’s social media. Unsolicited phone calls asking about personal information like if you’re home, who else lives in the home and other personal information could be a sign that you’re being tricked into giving a potential thief personal information they can use against you. Often it’s in the form of a survey or other ruse to trick you into giving personal information over the phone.
In this age of social media and over sharing, be very careful about giving information out over the phone and elsewhere for that matter particularly as it pertains to when your home is empty.
Strange Things Outside Your House
In 2015, a UK police department Tweeted out a list they said illustrated a burglar’s code that was used to mark houses. While the list was panned by some as being a case of the police department falling for a hoax email, the bigger picture is this: If you notice strange things outside your house, it might cause for vigilance on your part.
While some markings or unexplained things could just be neighborhood kids playing around, it’s always good to keep an eye open for anything that you feel is out of the ordinary. This includes things in your backyard moved or missing or unexplained footprints especially in winter with snow on the ground.
Trust Your Gut
Some people have a good track record of figuring out when someone is up to no good. Some people don’t. But you can increase the chance you don’t become a victim by keeping your eyes open and noticing things:
- Look for strangers in your neighborhood that don’t appear like they should be there. Maybe they’re just lost and looking for the correct address but maybe they aren’t.
- Pay attention if you see someone taking a picture of your house or another person’s house for no reason.
- Keep an eye out for the same car slowly driving around the neighborhood for no apparent reason.
- Look for cars especially with tinted windows that park on your road for long periods of time and drive away for no reason with no one entering or leaving the car.
- Pay special attention to door to door salespeople and other door knockers who come to your door. Never invite unsolicited sales people into your home.
What To Do?
These days it’s not recommended to approach someone that you think is up to no good. But if you are able to take a picture without them noticing, write down a physical description or jot down a license plate number you’ll have something to discuss with the police if you feel it’s justified.
Installing a monitored security system, security camera and/or doorbell camera helps to provide proof of activity, too.
And if you happen to be the victim of a break-in, make sure you address all weak areas of security in your home so it doesn’t happen again. Although it seems obvious to do this, there are instances where the same house (and victims) get burgled more than once possibly by the same thief. The thief might realize that nothing was done to address the first break in or they might simply return again to finish stealing from you.