9 items on every burglar’s wishlist

Jewellery is one of the most desired items on a burglar’s hit-list. Compared to robbing a jewellery store stocking gold, silver and precious stones, robbing your home is a piece of cake. If you have highly valuable family heirlooms or jewellery you don’t use often, it may be a good idea to store them at the bank.

It’s no surprise that cash is one of the top items a burglar desires. If you think keeping them in a safe deposit box will prevent theft, think again. That is where many burglars will look first! Instead, keep large sums of cash in the bank. If you need to keep some cash at home, store it in a discreet location, such as random folder on your bookshelf or your sock drawer, but be sure to remember where you hid them!

Electronics like laptops, iPads and smartphones are highly desired by burglars. These are usually the items that we leave lying around, which makes them an easy target. For extra peace of mind, you could keep your electronics in a safe in your room. You could also install a laptop lock or laptop alarm to make it harder for burglars to steal. Losing electronics can have other implications as they contain your confidential personal information.

It may come as a surprise, but burglars can go after your prescription drugs too as medicines have surged in market value. Burglars can easily sell them and get a hefty profit.

Protect your liquor cabinets! Even if a burglar doesn’t steal your expensive wine, he may decide to drink it. If the bad guys weren’t afraid to break a window to invade your home, they probably won’t hesitate to smash more glass to get a drink.

The worst thing you can lose during a break-in is your identity. Credit and debit cards, old cheques, bills and medical records left lying around can put your sensitive personal information at risk.

Believe it or not, some burglars may even rob you of your furry friends. If they don’t, they could still cause harm to your pets through accidental deaths and injuries during a break-in.

Expensive art pieces are on many burglars’ wishlists. Art, furniture and household utensils are easy to steal and can be re-sold for an immense profit. While it is difficult to ensure that these items won’t be stolen, keeping an inventory can help with an insurance claim if your household gets robbed. You could also keep photos of these items for reference in case you have to replace them.

Losing your power tools and building supplies can be a big inconvenience. These are highly desired by burglars too, so it’s important to keep them stowed away safely.

If a burglar enters your house through forced entry, you’ll receive compensation through home insurance. Depending on your insurance policy, you’ll be covered up to a limit for each personal belonging that is lost.

Here’s some extra information to guide you along.

More valuable objects like jewellery, antiques or silverware will likely have lower limits as most home insurance policies have limits for the amount they would cover for expensive items. If you have an array of expensive items in your household, you would need to purchase an additional endorsement to cover them.

If your home is burgled, this is what you need to do.

1. First, report the incident to the police.
2. Promptly contact your insurance agent. Many insurance agents have a time limit on how long you can wait to file a claim.
3. Document property damage with photographs and videos and prepare a list of stolen items.
4. Preserve damaged items as evidence of burglary. Do not discard, remove or start repair works related to the burglary without consent from your insurance agent.

 
No one ever wants to be a victim of a burglary. But when it happens, you can be sure that home insurance will help you get back on your feet. After all, it is more worthwhile to spend a few million dong a year on home insurance than forking out even larger sums for losses caused by theft.

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