Rocks on the driveway, tape on the door and stickers on the bin… the secret burglar signs which could mean your house is ripe to be robbed
After we revealed that sellotape is being used to test whether a home is ready to be plundered, these are the other signs to look out for
A FISTFUL of stones scattered over your drive or a smudge of red chalk on the curb doesn't sound like something to worry about... but could they be secret signs that your home is about to be robbed?
This week, it emerged that would-be thieves have been leaving strips of sellotape over front door keyholes to find out whether the occupants are on holiday.
"While visual deterrents such as alarm sirens and security cameras are highly likely to put a burglar off, the use of stickers or chalk markings would tie in with our beliefs that homes are targeted rather than randomly burgled."
Odd road markings for dog thieves
Have you ever seen an unusual chalk marking on your home or on the pavement outside your house?
Well, it could be the calling card of a dog thief signalling that your home has a lucrative breed to steal.
Supposedly, red chalk marks are used to indicate large dogs worth stealing, while yellow and pink marks refer to medium and small dogs, respectively.
A spokesperson for Durham police says: “It is believed that these markings, letters or symbols may be used by thieves to identify houses containing dogs with a view to stealing them at a later date.
“We would encourage all dog owners to pay attention to their properties and report any such instances to the police as well as taking extra care when walking their pets as to who is watching them enter their property.”
Meanwhile, dog owner Joanne Murphy issued a warning after she found strange chalk markings scrawled on the pavement outside her shop in Manchester.
Joanne claimed that the scribbles could refer to her dog, George, and even said one marking translated to "Take the dog".
However, some of these markings may be confused with the "Da Pinchi Code" symbols - a series of shapes and scribbles which was widely reported to be used by thieves to mark out homes worth breaking into.
Police forces have issued warnings about the code, but the truth is that many of these markings are just harmless messages used by road workers.
Jumpers on the windscreen
If you come back to your car and find a shirt or a jumper draped over the windscreen then it could be another warning sign that a criminal is about to strike.
Shockingly, a teenage girl even feared she was being targeted by kidnappers when she found a men's shirt on her car after a shift at work.
Ashley Hardacre, from Michigan, said the shirt was deliberately knotted around her wipers, and also saw another car ready to drive off nearby.
"I had seen posts lately about people finding things under their windshield wipers as an attempt to get girls out of their cars and distracted," she said on Facebook.
"I really can't think of another reason as to why someone would put it on my car."
Rocks on your driveway
You probably wouldn't think twice if you saw a load of rocks scattered around your drive, but Bristol police warns that white stones are being deliberately placed to mark homes which are particularly "vulnerable" to burglars.
“Pre-burglar marking is an issue we have been aware of for a long time," a spokesperson told Sun Online.
"White stones and advertising stickers attached to bins with fake locksmith contact details have been used as a way of marking vulnerable properties.
"The markings are thought to provide potential housebreakers details about the building, such as whether it is a good target or has an alarm, or whether it has been previously been targeted successfully.
"Marks can also be used to flag up homes which are empty during the day or unoccupied for long periods of time."
Stone mounds in fields
Thieves have been known to leave mounds of stones near farm buildings to signify a property which is ripe for a break in.
Some security experts have questioned why thieves would be so willing to tip off their rivals about juicy targets, rather than just break in for themselves.