What do you do if someone is lurking around your house?

Have a safe place in mind to go to in an emergency. You might go to a police station, place of worship, public area, the home of a family member or friend (unknown to the stalker), or a domestic violence shelter. If someone is following you, it is generally not a good idea to go home. Try not to travel alone.
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What should you do if your house is being watched?

What to Do When Your House is Being Cased
  1. Keep a record or note of suspicious activities such as times of the events, makes of possible vehicle, the appearance of the people in question.
  2. Notify neighbors about suspicious activities.
  3. Inform local police if necessary and requires extra patrolling on the areas.
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What to do if you think someone is outside your house?

Taking Action When You Suspect Someone Is In Your House. Call the police. If you are outside your house and see signs of forced entry, call the authorities immediately. Police are trained to deal with home invasions and will assume the risk of checking the house for you.
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How can you tell if someone is watching your house?

Signs a burglar is watching your house
  1. Unfamiliar vehicles. ...
  2. Suspicious people. ...
  3. Get to know your neighbors. ...
  4. Get a video doorbell. ...
  5. Snap a picture. ...
  6. Collect mail and newspapers. ...
  7. Don't announce your departure. ...
  8. Invest in a security system.
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How do you trick a burglar?

Ask friends, family, or neighbors to just be present on your property — use your patio, play in your yard, or bring in the mail. Invite a neighbor to keep a car parked in your driveway. During the holidays, they may be happy if they need overflow for visitors. Install a fake security camera for as low as $8.
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What to Do if a Burglar Is in Your House



Why do burglars break in at night?

You're less likely to be home during the day. Nighttime, it's likely that all family members will be home and tucked in bed. The opposite is true during the day. This means that burglars could take their time scouring the house without interruption (unless you have a security system).
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Why do I feel like I'm being watched in my house?

Paranoia is the feeling that you're being threatened in some way, such as people watching you or acting against you, even though there's no proof that it's true. It happens to a lot of people at some point. Even when you know that your concerns aren't based in reality, they can be troubling if they happen too often.
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What time do most burglaries occur?

The most common times for break-ins occur between 10 am and 3 pm. Rather than being guarded by night, most burglars choose the daytime to attempt a break-in, targeting homes when they believe no one will be present.
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How do burglars choose houses?

They often pick a house by surveilling the neighborhood and finding the one with the most predictable patterns of when people come and go. They also look for properties in more rural or isolated parts of the neighborhood, and houses that are well maintained or have fancy cars in the driveway.
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How do you keep someone away from your house?

How to deter burglars by pretending to be home
  1. Add a generic security sign to your yard or stickers to your door. ...
  2. Consider setting up a home security system, which can qualify homeowners for discounts on insurance.
  3. Create open spaces in your landscaping and keep bushes trimmed so burglars have fewer places to hide.
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Does leaving a light on at night deter burglars?

Do security lights deter burglars? Yes, they can. Light makes it hard for them to conceal their identity, so they are more likely to find a darker home.
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How do you know you are being watched?

Spot Common Signs of Surveillance
  1. Electrical fixture wall plates are slightly out of place. ...
  2. Check your vinyl baseboard – where the floor and wall meet. ...
  3. Look for discoloration on ceilings and walls. ...
  4. A familiar item or sign in your home or office simply looks off. ...
  5. You notice white debris close to a wall.
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Do burglars come back after failed attempt?

Unfortunately, after one “successful” burglary, intruders are likely to come back and target the same home again. Some studies show that only 1.2% of burgled residences experienced 29% of all burglaries. Repeat burglaries also often occur quickly after the first one—25% within one week and 51% within one month.
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Do burglars hurt you?

Fortunately, unlike movies, most burglars are looking to steal your belongings, not harm you. It's still pretty terrifying, though, to wake up in the middle of the night and realize someone else is in your house—and one can't exactly read a burglar's mind or know his or her intentions.
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What houses are more likely to be robbed?

The 10 Most Common Homes Burglars Target
  • Houses near common offenders. ...
  • Low-traffic areas. ...
  • Previously burglarized homes or homes near one. ...
  • Places to hide. ...
  • Vacant homes. ...
  • Poor security features. ...
  • Easy accessibility. ...
  • Houses with curb appeal.
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How do most burglars break in?

Front door: 34% of burglars twist the doorknob and walk right in. First-floor windows: 23% use a first-floor open window to break into your home. Back door: 22% come in through the back door. Garage doors: 9% gain entrance through the garage.
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What is the fear of someone watching you?

Scopophobia is an excessive fear of being stared at. While it is not unusual to feel anxious or uncomfortable in situations where you're likely to be the center of attention — like performing or speaking publicly — scopophobia is more severe. It can feel as though you're being scrutinized.
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What does it mean when you feel like someone is watching you but nobody's there?

Ghostly presences – the feeling of someone near you when there's no one there – could be down to your brain trying to make sense of conflicting information. For the first time, the brain regions involved in such hallucinations have been identified – and a ghost presence induced in healthy people.
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Why am I being watched everywhere I go?

Social anxiety can make individuals prone to constantly worrying about being watched — but typically only when they're in public. However, for those, like me, who feel watched even when they're alone, the perpetual fear might be a result of formative childhood experiences.
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Where do burglars not look?

Here are 5 uncommon hiding places in your home for cash and other valuables.
  • Not In the Drawer, Behind the Drawer. Drawers typically don't go all of the way to the back of the cabinet. ...
  • 2) In the Potted Plant. ...
  • 3) Spare Paint Can. ...
  • 4) Attic Storage. ...
  • 5) The Hallowed-Out Book Trick.
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How do criminals mark your house?

Not only is having a bunch of flyers or stickers stuck in your door a nuisance, it can also serve as a way for burglars to mark your home. Many burglars will stick flyers or stickers on homes that they think are unoccupied to serve as an indicator for their accomplices that the home is unguarded.
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How do you feel when someone is watching you?

The biological phenomenon is known as “gaze detection” or “gaze perception.” Neurological studies have found that the brain cells that initiate this response are very precise. If someone turns their gaze off of you by turning just a few degrees to their left or right, that eerie feeling quickly fades.
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