4 Crimes That Could Actually Happen to You—and How to Prevent Them

Crimes happen daily, but they always happen to other people, right? They’d never happen to you. Or, that’s what you’d like to think. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. No matter how good your luck is, most people eventually have a something happen to them or their property. Below are four crimes that actually have a good chance of happening to you.

Identity Theft

In the words of Dwight Schrute, “Identity theft is not a joke….Millions of people suffer from it every year.” The statement is true, and the number of people succumbing to it proves that it can be hard to prevent.

A few years ago, the CEO of a security company put his SSN on his company’s website, hoping to prove how good his company was at providing security. He dared criminals from all over the world to try to steal his identity. And guess what? The criminals picked up his thrown gauntlet and beat him.

Now, that’s obviously an extreme case, and easily preventable for most people. Keep your social security number secret. You shouldn’t be giving it out very often, and when you do, it should only be for times when you’re verifying your identity to places that actually have a reason to be verifying it.

But beyond the SSN, what else should you do to ensure your identity isn’t stolen? Well, for starters, shred any important documents you’re throwing away, along with any credit card applications you get in the mail and any other papers with your full name, address, and date of birth on them. All of these can be used against you by a dedicated criminal.

Burglary

Back in 2010, a self-proclaimed mountain man went around for months burgling dozens of cabins in southern Utah. Because it was off-season, he was even able to live in some of the cabins for weeks before moving on to the next target.

Although stories like the above are few, there are many other more common stories about thieves walking around a neighborhood, checking doors to see if they’re unlocked. If the houses are open, they go inside, take a few things, and split. Other times, criminals will be on the lookout for homes that look like the owners are on vacation, and then they’ll burgle those homes.

The best way to keep your property protected from burglary is to always lock up after yourself, (both doors and windows). It also wouldn’t hurt to have it seem like your home is occupied, especially if you’re going to be away for an extended period of time, by installing a timer on your lights. Buy an alarm system. Hide your back-up key somewhere people wouldn’t think (so not under the doormat or on top of the door frame), and if you don’t have a hide-a-key, you can always get one at a place like Aegis Locksmith.

 Combining as many security measures as you can will give your home the best security, because despite what the movies make you believe, most criminals don’t work for specialized companies like commercial locksmiths or safe crackers.

Mugging

Getting mugged can happen virtually anywhere. You could be in your hometown taking a quick trip to the grocery store or you could be in a foreign country on vacation. It can happen to anyone—even Chuck Norris himself. Yes, that’s right. Chuck Norris has been mugged. Or, rather, two muggers attempted to mug him. They ended up with broken bones and important first-hand knowledge of the man’s mad skills as a martial artist.

While self-defense is important, it’s not the best way to prevent a mugging (unless you’re Chuck Norris. Then it totally is). The best way to prevent getting mugged is by staying in populated areas and not flaunting money. Most muggers watch ATMs and money exchanges and target the people taking out a lot of money, so if you’re going on a trip, don’t exchange hundreds of dollars at a time. Mugging is actually one of the easier crimes to prevent.

Scamming

Scams are prevalent, and they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. There are the simple ones like cabbies trying to get you to pay for their gas or not having small change, and there are the bigger ones like lemon cars or one of the many “Nigerian royalty” scams.

Regardless of what the scam is or what corner of the world you are in when you face it, the best way to beat any scam is to verify what the scammer is telling you. If he’s claiming to be a distant family member in need of money, don’t just moneygram thousands of dollars to him. Verify his validity as a member of your family first. If he’s trying to sell you something online, verify that he’s legitimate, possibly through other users and reviews. It never hurts to be skeptical of people you don’t know (or even a “family member” on the phone). Skepticism makes it harder for someone to scam you.

Everyone has bad days, but if you follow these preventive tips, you can lower your chances that your bad day will involve you being a victim. Crimes happen all the time, but with a bit of knowledge and skill, you can keep them from happening to you.