Take action if you observe any of the following clues in your neighborhood.
SIX THINGS TO LOOK FOR
🚗1. Unfamiliar Vehicles: Take notice of the cars your neighbors drive. Watch the unfamiliar car, especially if the vehicle sticks around over an extended period of time and repeatedly shows up on an irregular basis.
🚷2. Strangers Walking Around the Street or Neighborhood: Take note of all strangers pretending jogging in the street or walking down the block back. If they are going back and forth in a similar area, this should set off a red flag. Engage in friendly conversation and ask if the person just moved in and where. If they are a new friendly face, they will likely kindly #engage in the conversation, you can welcome them to the neighborhood and move on. If not, you will likely get disjointed and odd responses. Strangers who take pictures and then walk away should also be taken notice of.
🧹3. Door-to-door Scams: A lot of criminals have taken to pretending to be door-to-door salesman. Some burglars would do surveillance around the neighborhood by pretending to be a salesman of a utility company, handyman offering free roof repairs or free carpet cleaning, anonymous survey or asking for money and donation for care packages to soldiers, etc. Coming to your door alerts a criminal to the potential of having a dog that could #deter them and help them get an understanding of your weekday schedule.
🧾4. Flyer or Ads: Burglars will often scout potential targets for theft by sending out commercial flyers or sticking ads around the streets, with which they determine whether the houses are guarded or not. They are often looking for things such as security cameras, or maybe even dogs that make a ruckus when they come near.
❔5. Toilet Excuse and Other Requests for Help: Some criminals will come to the door and ask to use the bathroom. If you let them in, they will get the lay of the house and look around for ways to quickly deprive you of your personal possessions. Often, if they have #nefarious intentions, they will stop by during the hours that no one is likely to be home (mid-morning to mid-afternoon.)
💢6. Strange Markings: A ring of professional #burglars marks potential targets while #canvassing your #neighborhood by using seeming random signs, in which they tell their members whether or not the houses are easy targets. If you see strange markings or signs anywhere that seem out of place, you may be a target.
This article was originally written by the Grayman Briefing. Stay in the know, sign up for Intel and Situational Awareness alerts pushed to your phone on emerging threats and preparedness warnings. Click HERE to subscribe to the Grayman Briefing.