With the holiday season coming, families are likely to be shopping for gifts large and small. When it comes to home security, however, what happens after unwrapping presents can play a key role in ensuring whether or not high-value devices like TVs and computers will remain in your possession by the time the clock ticks midnight and everyone celebrates the New Year.

The basic theory is similar to poker. When people have a strong hand during a game that they think will beat everyone else, they do not want others to know. Similarly, when families make big purchases for others as gifts or to replace old electronics, it is important that the rest of the world does not know that these easy-to-steal and easy-to-sell items are available for criminal elements in one’s home.

Hiding Electronics from Thieves, Not Just Recipients

When a burglar cases a house, he or she is looking to get the best return on a burglary. They are looking, then, for easy-to-access jewelry and electronics that can fit in a small duffelbag or backpack or even their pockets. While it may be difficult to hide a giant HDTV, many people casually toss boxes for electronics running from Blu-Ray players to video game systems to computer containers near their recycling bin until the next pick-up date.

When homeowners and renters do that, they are effectively advertising the equivalent of a Black Friday doorbuster sale at their home. Thieves can quickly calculate how much each of the gifts or products are worth as stolen goods and plan accordingly.To limit this, make sure that before you begin recycling any boxes that you have cut them down and either place them directly into the recycling or use a laundry room or garage until you are able to do so.

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