Who is in Your Home?

Dear Fellow Survivalist;

We all have people in our homes from time to time. Generally speaking, they are friends and family members who we know and have confidence in. But just how much confidence do you have in them? When your friends come over and bring their children with them, can you be sure that those kids don’t put something in their pockets before they leave?

Of course, those kids aren’t the only ones who have the opportunity to slip things into their pockets. Repairmen, service workers and housecleaners all have the opportunity to steal from us, any time we let them in our homes. There is some security in using a reputable, bonded company for these services; but if any of those people are stealing from you, they’re probably stealing from the company too. Besides, you’re going to pay extra for that bonded company and there’s no guarantee that a claim will be paid.

The truth of the matter is, as long as we have both people and things in our homes, there’s a risk of those people stealing our things. Being careful about who we let into our homes only goes so far, and the more valuable your possessions, the greater the risk of something coming up missing.

You’re usually limited in being able to follow people around and keep an eye on them. Those people are either there because you need them to do something for you or because you’re hosting some sort of event. In either case, you’re probably going to be busy doing other things while they are there. No matter how much you might want to keep an eye on them, you won’t be able to all the time.

So, how do you deal with this?

The first step is to hide your valuables. Now, there’s two problems with this. First, how do you define valuables? What may seem like it is of low value to you, may seem to be of high value to someone else, especially to someone who thinks they can steal it at little risk. So, it’s necessary to look at your belongings through the eyes of the person who might try and steal them. A $100 watch sitting on a dresser or vanity might just seem like another watch to you; but might seem like Christmas present to someone else.

Our second problem, when it comes to hiding things, is that most of the hiding places we think of as “good” places to hide things, are also known to those who would try to take those things. Thieves know all the common hiding places, so you have to come up with something that is unique and unusual. It also needs to be secure, in the sense that they can’t get in without breaking something or making a lot of noise.

Once you have your valuables hidden, it might be a good idea to put out some bait for them to take. What I mean by that, is to put out something of seeming value, but which didn’t really cost you much of anything. It needs to be someone might pick up, like a cheap copy of the aforementioned watch, thinking you wouldn’t notice.

The idea here is to leave a test out in open sight. If you have people coming into your home (and we all do), then those people are likely to come back at some time. With that being the case, it is better to know whether you can trust them or not. While most people will just overlook what you’ve left out, that one person will take it, letting you know that it’s best not to allow them in your home again.

I’ve known people who have done this and caught repairmen or housekeepers stealing their “bait.” For them, it became a quick and easy test, allowing them to know that it would be best to find someone else to do their work in the future. That person who stole the item might bewail their bad fortune; but at least they didn’t go to jail for what they stole. Nor did they cause any real problem for the people they stole it from.

We need to be ever vigilant and ever watchful; but sometimes, it’s better to use something else to be watchful for us. Just because you keep your powder dry and your survival gear close at hand, doesn’t mean that you’ve got eyes in the back of your head.

Dr. Rich