5 Easy, Cheap Hacks to Fool Burglars (No Alarm Needed)
You know the feeling. You are lying in bed, it is dark in the house, you hear a strange noise in the living room. Your mind quickly goes to the worst.
I’ve been there. We all have it. And while it’s tempting to call a security company and drop thousands of dollars on cameras, sensors, and 24/7 monitoring, you might want to stick to your wallet.
The truth is, even though the national burglary rate has dropped significantly – hitting 229.2 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2024, a 69% decrease since 2005, according to SafeHome.org data obtained from the FBI – home burglaries still occur.
More than half of all burglaries still target residential areas. But most thieves are not Hollywood crime-busting masterminds. They are opportunists looking for easy targets.
If you make your house look like trouble, they’ll move on to the next thing. And you don’t need to sign up for expensive or overpay for home insurance to make that happen. Here are five free ways to trick intruders into skipping your house entirely.
1. Fake TV light
Burglars choose empty houses. If they think someone is awake and watching television late at night, they won’t risk kicking in the front door. You can buy an inexpensive LED device online that mimics the flickering light of a TV screen.
Set it on a timer to run a few hours after you go to bed, or whenever you’re out on the town. It costs pennies in electricity and looks convincing on the road.
2. A phantom guard dog
You don’t have to feed, walk, or clean a 90-pound Rottweiler to reap the safety benefits of owning one. Go to the thrift store and buy the biggest, scariest dog bowl you can find. Leave it on your back porch next to a heavy chew toy.
Put a standard “Beware of Dog” sticker on your back gate. Most thieves want to get in and out easily, and the mere hint of a large, aggressive animal is enough to make them rethink their choice.
3. Strategic car placement
If your driveway is empty for a week, it’s a green light to enter. When you go on vacation, you can just leave your driveway empty. Ask a trusted neighbor to park one of their cars in your driveway while you’re gone. It creates the feeling that someone is home.
If you live alone and just want to feel safe at night, leave the big muddy work boots outside the front door. It shows that a very big person is inside and probably not in a state of uninvited guests.
4. The cardboard box hides
Nothing says “hack” like leaving a giant cardboard box for your new 75-inch 4K TV sitting on the curb for three days before trash collection. He advertises high-quality, easy-to-handle electronics for anyone driving.
Take a box cutter, cut that cardboard into flat pieces, and hide it inside your recycling bin. Do not place outside the curb until the morning of the pickup. This simple practice is almost as effective as buying smart devices that protect your home from disaster.
5. Barbed defensive perimeter
Landscaping is your first line of physical defense. If you have low windows hidden from the street by large leafy trees, you provide thieves with good cover to pry open the glass without being seen by the neighbors. Cut back those really big trees and replace them with something wrong.
Plant dense, thorny shrubs such as roses, holly, or bougainvillea right under your vulnerable windows. A burglar will not want to fight against a wall of thorns. It’s also a good idea to upgrade to secure door locks.
Sometimes, common sense and a little mental warfare go a long way than signing up for monthly security. Keep it simple, make your home look like a bad target, and sleep easy.
