Burglars Spying on Potential Victims With Hidden Cameras – Why?

Burglars Spying on Potential Victims With Hidden Cameras – Why?

Just when you think there is nothing left to learn about criminals doing unusual things to make their jobs easier, a news story comes along and shatters the illusion that we know everything there is to know about crime. One of the latest crime trends making the news is the practice of burglars spying on potential victims with hidden cameras. The big question is, why?

This is not a trick question. The answer is as simple as it appears to be. Burglars are placing hidden cameras on private property in order to watch victims come and go. They want to know when a home is vacant before they hit it. Vacant homes are a lot easier to burglarize without being caught.

Apparently, the trend started in the northeast and has spread all across the country. A recent report out of Scarsdale, NY illustrates what criminals are doing and how they are pulling it off.

Hiding Cameras in Trees and Bushes

A Scarsdale homeowner was doing yard work recently when he discovered a hidden camera in the shrubbery in his backyard. It was camouflaged so well that it could not be seen from a distance. Meanwhile, the burglar who placed the camera could keep an eye on the feed around the clock. He could know when the homeowner was around and when he wasn’t.

Planting a hidden camera in shrubbery or a tree isn’t as hard as it sounds. Anybody can go to a department store or sporting goods store and buy wireless outdoor cameras meant to monitor wildlife. Hunters use them all the time to help them find game. The cameras are designed with camouflage in mind so that they can be easily hidden away from prying eyes.

Burglars Want the Edge

Burgers who would deploy such a tactic are after an edge. Obviously, they do not want to be caught doing what they do. So instead of just picking a house and breaking in, they make every effort to figure out if someone is home at the target house. Using wireless video cameras is just a high-tech way of doing so.

The low-tech approach is equally effective but a bit riskier. A burglar will walk through a neighborhood checking door handles and ringing doorbells. If someone is home, he makes up some kind of excuse and then walks away. But if no one comes to the door, there is a possibility that the home is vacant.

Some burglars don’t care whether or not someone is home before attempting a break in. But most do. Your average criminal who is only interested in a quick score will avoid occupied homes whenever possible.

The Advice Doesn’t Change

Burglars setting up wireless cameras to spy on potential victims demonstrates that the basic strategies that lead to successful burglary do not change. It is only the tactics for deploying those strategies that change. And by the way, that’s why both police departments and security experts continue offering the same advice.

Count Vivint Home Security among the experts. Like so many others, they recommend keeping windows and doors always locked. They recommend motion sensitive lighting, making sure a home looks occupied, and installing a monitored home security system.

Burglars will not stop burglarizing as long as they have homes and businesses to target. In addition, they will continue looking for that edge. Now you know their latest tactic: setting up wireless cameras to spy on potential victims. Keep your eyes peeled around your own property. If you do find a camera, be sure to report it to the police.

Share