Happy Hanukkah. Those words are rather meaningless if you are hit with a burglary this holiday season. Generally, all crime increases during the holidays. Some experts say it is due to heightened desperation, joblessness, inflation, and societal pressure to have nice things. it really doesn’t matter what the reasons are. During the fun time of the year, you are a bigger target than ever.
You might not think of yourself as wealthy. But thieves do. You own a house and two cars, a white picket fence, and have lovely kids. From their perspective, you are living the dream and they are intent on transforming that dream into a nightmare. You have to learn to protect yourself from such predators. Failure to do so places your entire family at risk. Here are a few ways to make the holidays safer and happier for the whole family:
Light It Up
We all go a little overboard during the holidays, especially with respect to outdoor decorations. Your outdoor Hanukkah lighting can be spectacular without being gaudy. Thieves love houses with too many holiday lights because it signals a target-rich environment.
One way to make your house less attractive to thieves is to install security lights and cameras and blend them in with your usual Hanukkah decorations. Make your home even safer by putting a sign out where it can easily be seen informing people that the property is secured by lights, cameras, and alarms. You don’t really want to catch a thief in the act. What you want is to prevent a thief from making the attempt in the first place. By lighting it up and using security signage, you will likely encourage the would-be burglar to pass over your property along with the houses closest to yours.
Lock It Down
There are ways you can protect your laptop from home theft this holiday season. One of the best ways is to lock it down with some type of security cable. Many desktops and laptops have small ports for locking cables that are especially designed to make it difficult for a thief to walk off with your treasures.
If you work from home, you have a responsibility to your company and clients to secure their data. Security is not just about running antivirus scans from time to time. It is also about physically securing your hardware from theft. Other valuables should probably go in a fireproof safe. Thieves are on the clock when inside a home. They are looking around for things that will fetch a good price on the black market and things that are not nailed down. Thieves value convenience as much as you do. Don’t make your valuables convenient for thieves. Lock them down for added security.
Keep It Private
You would be surprised at the number of thefts that are done by someone the victim knows. Your social media postings are one of the burglar’s best tools for discovering what you have and when you will be out of the house. You have to stop making it easy for them. Don’t talk about every new gadget you buy. The thief will know two things: They will know what items you have and that you are wealthy enough to make a burglary attempt worthwhile.
Talking about the contents of your home should be as taboo as talking about your income. It is also unsafe to give out your future itinerary for a vacation you are planning. Once a thief has that, they have enough to plan their heist. The safer thing to do is to continue posting without mention of future vacation plans, the sharing the photos and details only after you return home. By doing that, you make your home safer for everyone who lives there.
Finally, get one of those fancy doorbells with cameras that can show you who is at the door, even when you are half a world away. Discourage porch pirates from targeting your house. And if you can’t prevent it, at least use the tech to help the police track down the burglars so they are not free to do it to someone else.
Make your Hanukkah celebrations safer by lighting it up, locking it down, and keeping it private.