“The burglars will sometimes enter the business owner’s car while the victim is working in order to learn where they live,” the bureau’s Newark Field Office reported in the alert distributed on Tuesday, June 28. “Other times, the burglars will follow a business owner home.
“While the victim is at work running the business, the burglars return to the victim’s home, break in, and steal cash and valuables.”
The victims are being targeted, in part, because of the stereotypical belief that they “have items of high value in their homes,” the field office alert says.
The FBI urged the business owners to:
- Keep your car locked while at work and secure your registration;
- Be cognizant of any cars in the neighborhood that aren’t normally there;
- Be aware of anyone who might be following you home;
- Give thought to how you secure valuables in your house;
- Consider motion sensor lighting on the front and back of a home to help deter break-ins;
- Install surveillance cameras on or around the home and business;
- Consider having a home or business alarm system installed.
Most importantly: If you are victimized, immediately report it to your local police department.
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