Musings: Are burglars using this trick to figure out if we are home or not?

This is alarming!

Burglars are using a new trick to figure out if you are home or not and it's very worrying. More and more we're being warned not to announce on social media when we are going away on holiday as someone might use the information to break into our home. But this trick has nothing to do with technology and is so subtle it could easily go unnoticed or be brushed off as a prank. Criminals are using sellotape to figure out when you are away from home for long periods of time. By putting a strip of tape across your keyhole they can tell if the house is being regularly used or not. If the tape is removed they know that you are home often but if it stays there untouched that signals to them that you may be away for the day or longer. Coming up to summer months, this is particularly worrying as a lot of people take this time for trips away or to visit family. Over the last couple of years, there have been more reports of 'house marking' by criminal gangs and this new type of marking has been spotted on several homes in Dublin and could quickly spread across the entire country. According to Independent.ie one resident in North Dublin said;

"It's a tactic they use, they cover the keyhole with clear sellotape to establish if the house is being accessed. Two houses were found to have this tape on my street recently in North Strand. This is deeply concerning for residents."

If you notice that your keyhole or that of your neighbours has been marked by sellotape, you should contact the police immediately.