Life isn’t as scary as it might seem on the TV, but that doesn’t mean that you can completely throw the question of security out of your living room window. You need to be aware that there are some baddies out there who are simply waiting for their chance to ransack someone’s home and steal your hard-earned belongings. They might not reach Gotham villain levels of dastardly evilness, but you’re not a superhero either. You need to be prepared, you need to be realistic.
Ironically enough, it’s sometimes villains that can protect you from other villains, as redditor AsleepFondant proved. They asked former burglars to offer some advice about where people really shouldn’t be hiding their valuables, and, wow, did they deliver. It’s making us reconsider a lot of things that we took for granted. For instance, safes might not be as safe as you think while closets shouldn’t be where you store your jewelry.
Scroll down and let us know if any of these tips changed your perspective on home security. Oh, and a small reminder that you should NEVER reveal to anyone where you actually hide your valuables. Even if it’s anonymously on the internet. Stay safe. Stay smart.
I reached out to redditor AsleepFondant to have a talk about their viral thread on r/AskReddit. They revealed to Bored Panda what the inspiration for the question was. "For starters, the area I live in is not the safest and I have experience of having my house broken into when I was a little kid, so you could say it's something that is on my mind," they said. Scroll down for our exclusive interview with AsleepFondant, dear Readers.
By the way, if you’re curious about some other tips and tricks ex-burglars shared, you really ought to check out this recent article about home security on Bored Panda.
#21 Light in the Quiet Shadows
LED lighting is cheap these days. If your house is gonna be vacant for a while, consider investing in one of those smart-lighting systems where you can set different rooms to turn on and off at different points in the day. (Kitchen during dinnertime, bedrooms at night, etc.)
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100points
#22 Classic Comfort Vibes
Oh, and thanks for locking drawers. That way I know exactly where the valuables are. I can open that cheap wood drawer as quickly with a crowbar as pulling it open.
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95points
#23 Keys to Everywhere
DON'T USE KEY RACKS OR BOWLS NEXT TO THE DOOR! The amount of stolen cars where the burglar takes one step into the house, picks up the keys to the family car and leaves immediately is just sad.
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91points
#24 Lost in the Scroll Zone
On your social media page.
No really.
Dont post photos of expensive stuff you just bought on Facebook. You might think it's cool to show it off, but to a would be theif, it just becomes a shopping list.
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90points
#25 Stacked Stories Await
For the college kids that might read this, don't keep your textbooks in your car. On the day of my finals I had about six textbooks I was gonna sell in my car. Came back to find someone broke my window and stole the textbooks. Cop told me that it's very common and unlikely they will catch the guy, so I was out ~$700, which was huge as a college student.
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88points
#26 Ready for the Unexpected
Pro tip: Hide your small valuables inside a used/empty fire extinguisher, no one is going to steal a fire extinguisher...
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88points
#27 Surveillance Zone Ahead
I read somewhere that if a thief sees a home security alarm sign 90% of them walk away. A friend of mine bought a ADT security sign off Ebay for this very reason.
81points
#29 Parked Like a Boss
You’d be surprised at how often people leave their cars unlocked with nice things inside. A lot of people actually leave them unlocked with the keys inside. It’s how the majority of cars are stolen.
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72points
#30 Locked Out Logic
Don’t keep your spare key outside near the front door — under a pot plant, under doormat, top of door frame etc.
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72points
