Six Things Burglars Like to Steal

01-15-2021

Nobody likes to have their home or office broken into, but what makes matters worse is when they steal things. Most things are replaceable and a good insurance policy will help with that, but some things simply cannot be easily replaced or can cause more trouble when in the wrong hands. We’ve all heard stories about burglars stealing guns and then using them to commit further and potentially worse crimes. If you know what they are after it can help you to protect yourself against their loss.  Here’s a list of the Six most stolen items:

Cash

Yes. It’s kind of obvious. If you leave cash lying around where people can see it or easily find it, it will likely get stolen. Leave your cash at the bank. They know how to protect it. At the very least, if you must keep significant amounts of cash in your home or workplace, lock it up in a safe, or hide it so cleverly that nobody would ever find it. Just don’t forget where you put it or you might accidentally be hiding it from yourself. This is a bigger problem for businesses, like stores who need to keep cash on hand for everyday transactions. Customers who buy things there will know there is at least a cash register with some cash in it. Smart business owners generally lock the cash up overnight in a safe that is very hard for the average burglar to open or run away with.

Drugs

Both illegal and prescription drugs are very commonly stolen when burglars enter a home. Illegal drugs have an obvious street value and are familiar to people who live on the fringes of society. If you’re buying drugs on the street then the wrong kind of people know you have them and may target you later for burglary. Prescription drugs, especially painkillers also have a pretty good markup on the street. It’s more likely that a burglar might not know what you have in your medicine cabinet at home, but if he’s already broken into your house, it makes sense that he might check to see what’s there.

Jewelry

Jewelry has a bigger reputation than it deserves but gets stolen all the time anyway. The average person doesn’t own a lot of solid gold jewelry, which is relatively easy to melt down and resell. Most of it is plated with a very thin coat of gold. Silver isn’t worth all very much, and diamonds are difficult to sell unless they are large (more than one carat). Most other jewelry is really not worth so much on the black market. However, burglars will steal anything shiny when rummaging through your drawers and then sort through it later to figure out if it is valuable. Most jewelry is small enough to just stuff into a pocket, leaving the burglar’s hands free to carry off your computer or TV. 

Electronics

TVs, video game consoles, computers, iPads, cell phones almost anything electronic is easily re-sold on the street. If you ever bought any of these items out of someone’s trunk or the back of a truck, it was probably stolen. Additionally, smart thieves can attempt to pull data out of a computer or other devices. That data has value. Online accounts, passwords, and other data may allow them to drain your bank account of all your money. Worse they might use your personal data to steal your identity.

Data 

In addition to the data theft mentioned above, there are hard copy records that burglars like to take. Items such as checkbooks bank, statements, and tax returns may have enough information to allow someone to steal your identity or all the money you have in your investment accounts. Usually, the burglars sell this info to other crooks online who know how to use it.

Tools

Small but expensive tools are also easily sold on the black marketplace. Cordless drills can cost $100 or more new, so if thieves can get $50 for them at a flea market or pawnshop they are pretty happy with that. Other tools that can be carried away may be worth even more. Nothing can put a tradesman out of work quicker than someone stealing all their tools. Don’t let this happen to you. Always bring your tools in from your truck and lock them up in the garage or house. It’s much better to endure the extra work of schlepping them back and forth from your vehicle every day than the troubles you will face if you lose them all to a thief.

Get a Home Security System installed

Simplify your whole security routine by having the experts at Affordable Home Security set you up with a system that will protect your whole home. You can relax a little bit when you know that there are alarms and security cameras installed in your home and business. You can pick up your phone at any time and from anywhere with internet access and pull up the video to see what’s going on and make sure your valuables are still sitting right where you left them. If you can’t be home all the time (and who can?) this is your best option to protect what’s yours.