A convicted cat burglar has spilled her simple tricks to help unsuspecting homeowners protect their properties from thieves.
American woman Jen Gomez spent 10 years in prison after she was caught breaking into people’s homes.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: How to protect home from thieves.
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“I made horrible decisions and hurt a lot of people so what I’m trying to do now is give a few safety tips on what you can do to better protect your home,” the now-40-year-old said in a viral video.
“The things I used to do to break into people’s homes, the way I used to scope out, say or look for, are very simple to resolve.
“And I feel it would deter a lot of burglars if the homeowners would just tweak a couple of things.
“I know I can’t change my past, I’m not proud of it, but hopefully my information can help people moving forward.”
1. Instal video doorbell
The mum says most burglars never want to come face-to-face with homeowners or neighbours.
“They don’t want to see you, they don’t want to talk to you and they don’t want to be recognised or identified,” she said.
“Something that will deter a burglar greatly would simply be to have a video doorbell of some sort.
“They’re not that expensive and you don’t even need a 24 hour surveillance on the side of your house.”
According to Gomez, nine times out of 10 the burglar will try to knock on your front door to ensure nobody is home.
“If they walk up and they see a video doorbell, they know that it is likely going to go off with motion,” she explained.
“Whether they proceed to ring the bell or not is up to them but most of the time, they will leave if they see it because they know now they have been caught on camera.
“So having a video doorbell will help tremendously.”
2. Glass shattering alarm sensor
Gomez suggests getting a feature on your alarm system with a wireless sensor so if a glass window is smashed, the owners will be alerted.
“If glass is shattered, your alarm will go off instantly and, most of the time, the burglar will run,” she said.
“That happened to me a couple of times and every time it happened, I ran away because I didn’t have time (to rob the place).
“It was calling the attention of all the neighbours and everyone else, and I just wanted to get out of there.
“So get the feature, pay for it, it’s worth it.
“Yes you have to pay for your broken window but it’s better to pay for a window then have someone rummaging through your home and taking your valuables.”
3. Keep curtains shut
Gomez says you should always keep curtains or blinds shut whenever you leave home.
That includes windows and doors at the back of your property, no matter how much privacy you have.
“Don’t think that a burglar is not going into your backyard because that’s the first place they’re gonna go after they ring the doorbell and confirm nobody’s home,” she said.
“So you’re going to need your curtains and blinds closed.
“Even though you think no one will see your home from back there, a burglar is going to look through that sliding glass door that’s wide open.”
She says by looking through your kitchen window, burglars can “scope out information” about the layout of your property.
“You need to make it a habit of closing your curtains and blinds when you leave your house, no matter how insignificant you think that this is,” she said.
“I used to get a lot of information by just simply looking through a window or two and I knew exactly what I was doing, the layout of the house.
“And I wouldn’t have known all that if I had not been able to look through an opened window at the front and back.
“Close your windows, close your blinds and close your curtains.”
4. Know your neighbours
Lastly, Gomez urged everyone to know their neighbours.
“You don’t have to be best friends… Know them on the most basic level… Just say ‘hi’ every now and then. It will help you in the long run — I can’t stress this enough,” she said.
“I wave and speak to every one of my neighbours. You know why?
“Because they know I live here, they start paying attention to who comes in and out of my place, and so therefore if there’s a stranger around, they’re gonna know and they’re going to be cautious.
“A lot of people want to be a hero of a situation and a good Samaritan so if they see something weird or creepy, they would love for nothing more than to help out that neighbour that always waves to them.”
If you simply start communicating with your neighbours on a basic level, Gomez said everyone would be aware and alert of their surroundings, especially when a stranger was around.
“Maybe the burglar might still break into your home because your neighbour can’t call you right away — but at least they will be able to ID the person and their car,” Gomez said.
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