20 Former Burglars Reveals About Places Where People Should Never Hide Valuables

Sometimes, you can’t prevent break-ins, especially when a robber is already determined to do it. What you can do is stall for time and make sure they can’t find your most valuable things. Former burglars (and robbery victims!) of Reddit share their insights on how to prevent one from costing you a limb.

The tips may sound bizarre to you, but just wait until you see the explanations and read the mindset of a burglar. And there are so many simple tips you can follow to not lose your car, jewelry, or other precious assets.

1.

“This doesn’t exactly answer the question asked, but it is a tip on potentially protecting your valuables. Bear with me because it’s a bit strange: Glue a spare key (not one that opens something important) under your doormat. Weird right?

A few years ago I did this in addition to installing cameras. Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen this exact scenario play out: thief walks to the door, checks under the mat, unsuccessfully try to grab the key, backs up, looks around to see if anyone is watching (presumably because they think they have fallen for some trap/prank where they are being surveilled), and LEAVES. They don’t even search for another way in because it spooks them.” – aj9811

2.

“Closets, gold mine for jewelry.” – fourier1234567890

3.

“Your shed. Seriously.
LOCK YOUR F**KING SHED.
Even if your house is well locked if your shed isn’t I likely have access to a plethora of tools I can use to gain access. Don’t help the burglar. Lock your shed.” – AlphaTangoFoxtrt

4.

“We had our apartments burgled, there were four apartments in the area. Guy kicked down the door and apparently was in and out pretty quickly.

I came home from work, cop told me, never leave valuables in your nightstand. Might have even said bottom drawer. Sure enough, mine was checked, I could tell because my envelopes were moved from where I placed them.” – chacham2

5.

“Any safe that’s not bolted down and is small enough for 1-2 people to carry isn’t safe at all.

Also, my ex’s grandfather had a safe stolen from his home that was bolted down – the thieves wrapped a chain around it and ran it out the window to a truck. Took the safe straight through the wall.

All they had to do was follow the drag marks though… But still.” – RallyX26

6.

“As a troubled teen, I robbed schools. So hiding your valuables isn’t really applicable, but I can say this: lock your damn windows. 99% of the time we got in with unlocked windows.” – RobbStarkNaked

7.

“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 6 textbooks I was gonna sell after my finals, I left the books in my car while I took my tests. Came back to find someone who broke my window out to steal 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.” – zepaperclip

8.

“Obligatory never done it but 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 lol, it’s how the majority of cars are stolen. Eliminating the easy opportunity is the easiest step and will do a lot to keep your valuables safe.” – 50nd

9.

“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.” – GlutenFreeApples

10.

“I’m going to look under your bed, I’m going to dump out any drawer I find. I’m checking your freezer. I’m looking under the bathroom cabinet. If it takes me more than a minute to get to something (and don’t forget I’m more than willing to break s**t to get to stuff) then it’s not worth my trouble. I want to be out of your house in less than 15 minutes tops.” – henrideveroux

11.

“I’ve seen people make false outlets for hiding valuables like cash and jewelry. Just an idea, a burglar would have to be at your home for a long time to start checking outlets.” – ban_me_daddyy

12.

“Don’t leave things out that people can see from outside your home or car. If you buy a new TV or computer break down the box it came in. Don’t just leave it by your garbage bin.” – Auferstehen78

13.

“Don’t keep spare key near the front door. Under pot plant, under doormat, top of door frame, etc.” – marty_arty

14.

“Not really hide, but don’t leave stuff in your car. When I was in high school we did our fair share of carhopping.” – drdoom

15.

“Fire safes only are safe from fires.” – Asylumsix

16.

“LED lighting is cheap these days.

If your house is gonna be vacant for a while, consider investing in one of those smart-lighting home automation 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.)” – C0SAS

17.

“Had my house burglarized by a so-called friend. He missed by far the most valuable thing. It’s just a safe sitting on the laundry room floor. He missed it because I’m a scumbag and had it covered with a mountain of dirty clothes and towels. So not being tidy saved me upwards of 35k.” – ImAlwaysRightHanded

18.

“My cousin lives in a bad neighborhood, so she went to a thrift store, bought an obvious-looking jewelry box and a bunch of expensive-looking costume jewelry that’s actually worthless, and put it in the box. She keeps this in a conspicuous place. Then she leaves a few 20’s on top. This way if someone breaks in, they will grab this and run, ignoring some of her well-hidden valuables.” – downwarddawg

19.

“DON’T USE KEYRACKS OR BOWLS NEXT TO THE DOOR!
Don’t leave any bags or containers in view in your car!
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.” – OThinkingDungeons

20.

“The medicine cabinet or bathroom. I’ll just scoop all the drugs out into a bag.” – GlutenFreeApples