The Creepy New Burglar Tactic You Need to Know About in New York

Forget ski masks and crowbars. Burglars are now getting a little more strategic.

They’re not dressing like a utility worker with a clipboard and a fake smile. And they’re definitely not casing your house in a beat-up van like Marv and Harry from Home Alone. No, what they’re doing now is quieter, more calculated and unsettlingly advanced.

Instead of hanging around your neighborhood, these modern-day thieves are using a method so subtle, you could walk right past it every day and never notice. It doesn’t involve breaking windows or jiggling locks. In fact, it doesn’t even require them to be anywhere near your house while they figure out when you’re not home.

What looks like tossed-aside trash or a harmless bundle of leaves could actually be something much more invasive, something deliberately planted on your property. To watch you.

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This new tactic has already shown up in major cities like Los Angeles and New York City. And while it hasn’t made headlines in Central New York just yet, law enforcement says it’s only a matter of time before this high-tech trickle-down reaches places like Utica, Rome, Syracuse, and hopefully not, your backyard.

Hidden Phones Watching Habits and Routines

A Queens resident recently discovered what looked like a phone wrapped in black tape, buried in her lawn. Only the camera lens was visible and it was deliberately pointed at her house. Similar discoveries have been made in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and high-end neighborhoods across California.

The trend is known as “burglary tourism,” where organized crime groups scout out affluent areas, plant devices, and strike when the timing’s right.

The New Face of Burglary: Camouflaged Surveillance

These DIY spy devices are cheap, easy to find online, and are typically connected to memory cards or Wi-Fi hotspots that let criminals collect footage remotely.

Once burglars learn your habits, when you're home, when you leave, or where you store valuables, they retrieve the cameras and return for a break-in when they know you won’t be around. Some even use Wi-Fi jammers to disable doorbell cams and other wireless security systems.

Whether you live in a cul-de-sac in Liverpool or a quiet road in Clinton, these camouflaged cameras could be placed in your shrubs without you ever noticing, unless you're looking.

How to Protect Your Home

Here’s what security experts and law enforcement agencies recommend:

• Do a sweep of your yard regularly. Look for unfamiliar bags, boxes, or anything camouflaged with leaves or tape.

• Secure your Wi-Fi-connected devices. Consider switching to hardwired systems or using encrypted networks to deter signal jamming.

• Install motion-sensor lighting and keep hedges trimmed to eliminate hiding spots.

• Place Bluetooth or GPS trackers like Apple AirTags in bags, coats, or inside safes to help locate stolen items.

• Prevent burglars from cutting power to your alarms or cameras by securing your circuit panel.

• Be a nosy neighbor (in a good way). If you notice suspicious activity, like someone acting like a utility worker or a car slowly cruising by repeatedly, report it. Better safe than sorry.

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A “lost” phone on your lawn, a new planter that wasn’t there yesterday, or a bag tucked into your hedges might not be random. And if something feels off... it probably is.