Where once burglars would wander neighborhoods, scanning obituaries to decide who to target, now, thanks to free services readily available online, burglars can plan their heists from their own computers or mobile phones.
Hard data on thieves' methods is hard to come by, but Riverside, California, police have seen many criminals use these online tactics after being arrested for attempted theft or after successfully carrying out a theft.
The revelation comes as international crime syndicates have been raiding communities in California, Michigan and Arizona, according to a Fox News Digital report earlier this year.
“Our detectives will confiscate digital devices, etc. [after they arrest suspects] “We are working to obtain search warrants to access those devices,” spokesman Ryan Lehrback told Fox News Digital. “Internet history can be found there. Our detectives ran it on Google Maps and found that they had searched for a specific address, which was listed on Zillow and Redfin.”
Google has released 36 million square miles of high-resolution aerial imagery and 10 million miles of road footage around the world through Google Earth and Google Street View. CNET 98 percent of the roads in places where people live are mapped.
Protect your privacy: How to remove your home photos from ZILLOW, REDFIN, and REALTOR.COM
Ring video shows the robber wandering around the victim's backyard at night with a flashlight.
Meanwhile, Zillow, one of the most popular real estate sites in the United States, reports that it has approximately 130 million listings in the United States as of July 2024. Sites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com often feature detailed interior photos of homes, which may remain on the website even after the home has been sold.
“Now, by sitting down, having a cup of coffee and accessing these platforms, you can figuratively survey the joint and get more relevant data and information than ever before. [binoculars] “There was a car parked outside the house,” former NYPD detective and security expert Pat Brosnan told Fox News Digital. “It gives you a good idea of what was going on inside.”
Brosnan said potential sellers could protect themselves by limiting what they put on their online home profiles.
“If you're selling your home, of course you want to look your best,” he says. “The balance is to submit accurate, compelling, professionally taken photos, but you don't need to submit a ton of them. You'll also want to avoid 360-degree videos, which are all too common in sales.”
“Robbery tourism” rampant in Southern California, with unidentified foreigners raiding luxury homes
Sue Ellen Gutierrez Saez, 20, Johan Salvo Aracón, 21, and Manuel Eduardo Fuentes Gomez, 25, were arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of being part of a South American criminal organization responsible for an estimated 111 residential burglaries. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
Brosnan said the video can be paused and enhanced, allowing criminals to “see every gap and crevice in your home – the windows, the cameras, the locking systems.”
“We can identify alarm systems and how to avoid them,” he said. “We can also identify secondary and tertiary entrances and exits.”
Sharon Polsky, president of the Canadian Privacy & Access Council, said Google Maps images are also a useful tool for would-be car thieves.
“Car thieves can get a rough idea of the type and number of cars at an address. A house with children's toys strewn around the yard is unlikely to have a luxury sports car, but a house with flags as window coverings is more likely to have older cars, which are less valuable and therefore likely to face less severe criminal prosecutions,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Anyone stealing a car to place an order could use Google Maps to see if the car on their shopping list is in your driveway and then use that information to make sure they bring along the right software to program the blank key fob they need to steal the car,” Polsky said.
When it comes to posting photos on real estate websites, Brosnan suggests avoiding photos of security cameras, locks, security systems, gates, windows and doors wherever possible.
Members of a Chilean crime gang were filmed breaking into a luxury home in Oakland County, Michigan. (WJBK)
He also advised people not to publish photos of homes at night, where motion-detecting spotlights could reveal where they are installed.
Former FBI agent and cybersecurity expert Bill Daly advises home sellers to put away expensive furniture and artwork before taking photos for the listing.
When dealing with a real estate agent, Polsky said hopeful home sellers “should have it in their contract that the house number not be revealed in the listing description or photos.”
“This will only be a minor inconvenience for curious property hunters and potential renters/buyers who have to contact a real estate agent to ask for the address, but it will give the agent a chance to speak to each person and build their own contact list. More importantly, by not giving out the house number, it will be a huge inconvenience for thieves.”
Authorities say groups of illegal immigrants are targeting luxury homes in the Phoenix area.
Photos on real estate websites may show entrances, camera locations, and other elements that could help criminals plan how to break into your home. (Fox News)
Railsback advised homeowners to install visible security camera or alarm system signs outside their homes and to be on friendly terms with their neighbors.
“Despite all the security measures I take, if a criminal were to try to break into my home I would want them to at least think about the risk they might be taking,” Railsback said.
Brosnan also suggested blurring your home on Google Maps Street View, which can be done by finding your home on the service and clicking “report a problem,” which will bring up a simple form to fill out.
A Google spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it typically takes about a week to blur an address after receiving a request, and that once blurred, it cannot be undone. The spokesperson said the company uses AI technology to blur license plate numbers and faces in Street View imagery.
A Zillow representative told Fox News Digital that their service makes it “quick and easy” to take ownership of a property. The option appears when you find your home on the site and click on “More Options.” The “Claim Ownership” feature appears. After proving they own the home in question, homeowners can remove photos and the entire property.
“We take privacy and security very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The photos featured on Zillow come from multiple listing services and other sources that real estate agents use to promote their homes. We always encourage homeowners to list their home on Zillow, where they can change or remove photos and edit their home information.”
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A single family home is located on a residential street in Aldie, Virginia, on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Redfin, Realtor.com and Google were not available for comment at press time.
Brosnan said it's also important to limit what you post online about your whereabouts.
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“Unless your social media is very private and your followers are people you know personally and trust, don't post about your vacations on social media,” he said. “If you see someone on social media vacationing somewhere in Mexico, where else could someone be vacationing?”
“You should check your settings regularly; these platforms will update their settings,” he continued. “Update your settings, keep them up to date, and ask a close friend or neighbor to drive you to your home or give you access to their camera while you're out. Don't advertise when you're not at home.”
He said people who must upload vacation photos online should wait to post them until they get home.
