9 Things That Tell Burglars You Live Alone — A Retired Guard Shows Every Fix

Burglars don't pick houses by what's inside. They pick them by who's home. Here are 9 everyday things that tell a burglar you live alone, and how a retired security guard with 31 years in uniform would fix every one, most for $0 to $15. If you're a senior living alone, or you worry about a parent who is, this home security checklist takes about an afternoon, and number one is the one almost nobody thinks about. My book, Give Nothing Away: https://curtishayess.com/ In this video: 0:00 Dorothy's story 0:53 9 tells, counting down 1:29 Why burglars care most about who's home 2:35 #9 The porch 4:23 #8 The mailbox 5:58 #7 The trash can 7:27 Interlude: he's doing math 8:17 #6 One car, same schedule 10:01 #5 The one lamp 11:55 Interlude: fear sells 12:56 #4 What he sees through the window 14:50 #3 Boxes and mail sitting all day 16:50 Interlude: Margaret's lamp 17:54 #2 What you tell him at the door 20:05 #1 The obituary 22:56 The whole list in one breath 24:10 Tonight's homework Sources: Through the eyes of a burglar: Study provides insights on habits and motivations, importance of security — ScienceDaily / UNC Charlotte (2013): https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130516160916.htm Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender's Perspective, final report — UNC Charlotte, via SIAC (2012): https://siacinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Burglar-Survey-Study-Final-Report.pdf We asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes — KGW Portland (2016): https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/86-burglars-say-how-they-break-into-homes/283-344213396 Crime in the United States 2019: Burglary — FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2020): https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/topic-pages/burglary Warning: Burglars read the obituaries, too — NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/markets/warning-burglars-read-obituaries-too-flna848403 If somebody you love lives alone, subscribe and send this to them. New videos every week. Hashtags #HomeSecurity #SeniorsLivingAlone #BurglarProof #HomeSafety #LivingAlone #SeniorSafety #BurglaryPrevention #RetiredSecurityGuard #CrimePrevention #AgingInPlace #WidowSafety #SafetyTips