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13 Sneaky Signs Your House Is Being Watched

Gone are the days of burglars randomly bursting in with ski masks. Today's criminals will watch and wait until just the right moment before attempting a break-in.

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Hole in the window glass by a bullet shot during war shooting. Cracks spreading around the hole. Green leaves of trees blurred by the glass. Dirty window frame. View of a street from the inside.
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A broken window

Some criminals will throw a rock through a house or car window before even trying to break in, just to see what happens, says Joel Logan, COO of Las Vegas-based Reliance Security. If an alarm goes off and neighbors peer outside to see what’s happening, they might be scared off. But if the homeowners are clearly out of the house or the police never arrive, they might break in that night or soon after. Call the police right away if you’re home, and install motion-sensor floodlights for when you aren’t there, Logan recommends. Learn these 20 secrets a home security installer won’t tell you to keep your home even safer.

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Student with backpack walking through foggy city street
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A strolling stranger

You probably don’t know everyone in your neighborhood, but a criminal scoping out the area likely won’t just look like an innocent walker. If someone is walking by repeatedly, check their body language, says Logan. “If you take your dog for a walk, you just walk around the neighborhood. You’re not always checking behind you or looking over your shoulder,” he says. Pay attention to clothing, too. Most people taking a walk for the sake of fitness will be wearing workout gear, so someone in plainclothes who’s out for long periods of time might be up to no good, adds Everett Stern, intelligence director of private intelligence company Tactical Rabbit. Any time you’re feeling uneasy, call the police, he suggests. It’s better to bring them out of their way for a bit than to regret ignoring the warning signs. Find out how a detective caught a stalker who had been humiliating high school girls in a small town.

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An eager photographer

Beyond just looking jumpy, someone watching your home might be taking pictures. They’ll be documenting hiding spots and how close the houses are together—less space between houses means more chance a neighbor will spot them, says Stern. If you notice strangers acting fishy with their cameras, defend yourself by taking your own picture of them, Logan recommends. “You might get into an argument, but if there’s a person with bad intentions, taking a picture of him is a good chance of scaring them off,” he says. Memorize these hiding spots burglars check first for valuables.

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Small Solar Garden Light, Lanterns In Flower Bed. Garden Design. Solar Powered Lamp
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Light bulb problems

“Lights are burglars’ enemy,” says Logan. “In lights, they can be seen.” A thief who’s planning to break in might unscrew the bulbs around your house so they don’t turn on and reveal the burglar. Check the bulbs if your lights stop working suddenly. If they’re unscrewed but aren’t burnt out, a crook might be scoping your home, says Logan.

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Close up front of new silver car parking on the asphalt road
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A vehicle that keeps driving by

You don’t need to question every unfamiliar car that drives by, but take note if one passes your house over and over. One with an out-of-state license plate or no plate at all could signal someone is there to watch your neighborhood, especially if the passengers park the car and don’t get out. Write down the license plate number (if there is one), get a description of the driver or the number of people in the car, and call the police if you’re suspicious, says Logan.

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BROOKLYN, NY - May 25, 2015: A bin-full of trash on the street of New York City.
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Missing trash

A stolen identity can be more valuable than some jewelry and cash. “A lot of burglars won’t enter a home,” says Stern. “They’ll start stealing your trash.” From there, they’ll rummage around for documents containing your Social Security number, birthday, and other clues for stealing your identity, along with what type of job you have or when you’ll be going on vacation. Shred any papers before chucking them to make it harder for crooks to put the pieces together, says Stern. Follow that with knowing these 13 personal details your house reveals about you so you can be more aware of what you’re broadcasting to the world.

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Untouched mail

An observant criminal will take note when there’s a pile of newspapers building up in front of your house. “When you’re on vacation, that’s a telltale sign you’re not there,” says Stern. When you’re away, ask a neighbor to pick up your papers, pamphlets, and anything else signaling no one is home, he suggests. Check out these other 13 ways to keep your home safe when you’re away.

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MIssing poster
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A missing dog

A barking dog is the last thing a burglar wants when trying to break into your home. If a thief has been scoping your home and is intent on getting in, he or she will let the dog out well before attempting the break-in. “Then they go back in a week or the next day and know the dog isn’t going to alert the neighbors or homeowners,” says Logan. A runaway dog isn’t always the fault of a criminal, but people with bad intentions will use the strategy from time to time.

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Car need fuel
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An empty gas tank

You could have sworn you had more than a half a tank when you got home last night, but when you left in the morning, the gas meter was on empty—and you couldn’t make it to the gas station in time. There’s a chance a determined burglar drained your tank with a hole or a tube the night before. Now the thief can watch you leave for work, then enter your home without worrying about when you’ll be back. Know these 13 signs your home is vulnerable to being robbed.

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High Angle View Of Delivery Men Unloading The Cardboard Boxes From Truck
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A moving truck

Criminals rely on the fact that people don’t always know much about their neighbors. While a homeowner is on vacation, they might park a U-Haul in the empty driveway—after all, they would have taken the car on their trip—then load up without being questioned, says Stern. Learn the surprising time of day most burglaries happen.

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CHIANG MAI, THAILAND - JAN 20, 2017: A man hand holding iphone with new logo of instagram application. Instagram is largest and most popular photograph social networking.
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Social media posts

Snooping crooks are just one more reason to worry about Internet privacy. “Burglars are using social media now to gather intelligence,” says Stern. “When people post information about their home or a Christmas party, they show different parts of the home or layout.” Especially on image-based platforms like Instagram or Snapchat, robbers could get a sense of where your valuables are to make an efficient theft. Also, avoid posting about your vacation until you’re home. Publicizing the fact that you’ll be away for two weeks—leaving your house unattended—opens the door for burglars to feel confident breaking in. Make a mental note of these photos you should never post on social media.

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Open the door to the bokeh garden
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Door-to-door visits

Of course some religious groups or salesmen ring the doorbells with innocent intentions, but some criminals also pose as them to get a look at the inside of your house. Pay attention to how they present themselves. “You talk to them and they don’t know much about the product, or they’re looking around the house more than trying to sell the vacuum cleaner,” says Logan. Your best bet is to play it safe and not open the door, says Stern. Ideally, you’d have a camera and audio system set up so you can see who’s outside your door and communicate with them without opening up. If you don’t, just shout out the door that you aren’t interested, suggests Stern.

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A new cleaning person

If you have a cleaning team or other crew that visits frequently, a new person could be a red flag. Burglars might pay off people with access to your house to find out what’s inside, and some might even convince the team to let them pose as part of the crew, says Stern. When a new face shows up, he recommends calling the company and asking who the person is and why he or she is there. If they don’t know whom you’re talking about, it could be a crook—just one of the tricks a burglar won’t tell you.

Marissa Laliberte
Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.