Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Potential crooks may be scouting your house right now, eager to get their hands on your holiday gifts – and you might be offering them an open invitation, without even realizing it.
Your holiday trash is like an advertisement to criminals. Syracuse Police say all those boxes, especially electronics and big ticket items, are like window shopping for thieves. Providing this type of information opens the door to what’s inside your home.
“If they know there are valuables, they'll be more likely to look for the opportunity to break into the house. One way to know there are valuables is based on the boxes from the trash, which you might put out after the holiday, especially the high priced items that are easy for one person to carry, such as computers, laptops, electronic equipment and jewelry,” Syracuse Police Sergeant Gary Bulinski said.
What you’ll want to do is break up the boxes so they can’t be seen and you can’t tell what was in them. You might also want to wait until right before the garbage man arrives before putting them out.
Also, police say it’s a good idea to record serial numbers on new gifts, which can be a huge help in identifying the item and getting it returned to you in case it’s ever stolen.
