When you go on vacation, there are a thousand ways not to show that you leave your house empty. Some choose, for example, to leave the light on, which does not seem very wise in these times of soaring energy prices. Others make sure they don’t close their shutters, which isn’t very effective either, given that it’s entirely possible for a seasoned thief to discreetly observe your house from afar and see through the windows that no one is there or enters.

From a technological point of view, many devices are available to people wishing to secure their home. However, they are often very expensive, and few systems are completely resistant to the expert workmanship of professional burglars.

In general, professional thieves organize themselves into a network to optimize their modus operandi. Thus, some are responsible for observing potential victims, quite simply: their daily habits or their work schedules are very valuable information for the thugs. Once they believe they have correctly analyzed their target, they communicate with each other by interposed symbols, marked on or near the dwellings concerned.

Lately, burglars have developed a very effective technique to determine if you have gone on vacation. They affix a simple and discreet little dot of glue between your front door and the frame, and come back regularly to check its condition, as reported by Pleine Vie. If the glue point remains intact, it means that there has been no coming and going in the house. Thieves can thus deduce that you are absent, and come and rob your house with complete impunity. If you’re on the lookout for this detail that doesn’t lie and you spot it, contact the police as soon as possible!