Zeke and Jessica T. live in Spring, Texas…
One day, the couple was at church with their children when they were alerted by their security cameras that someone was at their front door.
There was a woman at their door wearing a sweatshirt that hid her face.
She stood at their door for about 30 seconds, then appeared to try and enter the house with a key.
Zeke tried to speak to the woman through the doorbell camera, and it looked like she walked away.
Or so they thought…
After church, the family walked to their car and noticed Jessica’s purse was gone.
“My ID, my phone was gone, house keys, car keys, everything!” Jessica said.
And when they went home, they realized the stranger at their door had actually broken into their house.
Jessica said, “When we got home my husband asked, ‘did you leave the front door open?’, and then we said, no… don’t tell me she came over here with our house key!”
A couple of days later the couple started hearing about similar types of break-ins.
One of the victims posted a video of the suspect. It was the same woman that Zeke and Jessica had seen on video at their door.
After the break-in, the family changed the locks on their doors and closely watched their financial statements.
Jessica has been asking herself, “Will they come back?”
“If someone’s going to come to hurt my children then yes, I will do whatever I need to do to protect them. It’s scary… to think that it could get to that.”
Now, this type of crime is pretty common. If criminals can steal keys, and they know where you live, a burglary gets a whole lot easier.
But the truth is, criminals don’t even have to steal your keys…
They can learn a lot about a person’s habits simply by looking at their keys. That’s because a lot of people carry their keys where they are easily seen.
And you might unwittingly provide criminals with valuable clues they could use to break into your house.
In fact, here are some things that your keys could be telling criminals.
Rusty key:
If you have a rusty key on your keychain, it could tell a criminal that you may hide the key.
Because if you have hidden a key outside, you know that over time it will get wet and start to rust.
And when someone uses the hidden key, it could leave water and rust particles in the lock, which then transfer onto your everyday use key when you unlock the door.
So, a rusty key on your keychain could mean you have a hidden key outside your house.
And a smart criminal could stop by your house and look under door mats, rocks, and other places for a hidden key.
Safe key:
Many safe keys have a large black head and a small cylinder that acts as the teeth of the key, making safe keys easy to tell apart from house or car keys.
If you have a safe key on your keyring, a criminal could assume you have a safe at your house – either a gun safe or a regular safe.
The easily identifiable key lets the criminal know you have something of potential value to steal.
Kwikset:
Kwikset brand door locks are one of the most common brands of locks in residential homes.
The reason Kwikset is so popular is that the locks are inexpensive.
The brand is sold at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, and many other retailers.
The problem is that Kwikset locks are incredibly easy to pick. In addition, since they are not the best quality, the “teeth” on the keys are often worn down.
Not only could a criminal see the brand on your key and know it’s easy to pick, but if the key on your keychain is visibly worn down, they will know the lock is old as well.
Knife/flashlight:
If you have a knife, flashlight, or similar gear on your keychain it can be a sign that you are prepared and may cause a criminal to think twice.
These items are not carried by people who don’t make their safety a priority.
Which tells whoever is paying attention, that since you carry these things on your keychain there is a good chance you are security minded (with a defense gun) at home as well.
Schlage key:
If you have a Schlage key on your keychain it’s another sign that you take security seriously.
Schlage locks are not impossible to pick, but from a criminal standpoint, they are much more difficult, and likely not worth the time.
So, again, if you have Schlage locks on your house, you probably have additional security measures as well.
The bottom line is: keychains can tell a lot about a person.
They can reveal your habits, hobbies, and how seriously you take your security.
Next time you grab your keys check out everything on the keyring and see what a criminal might learn about you.
Then make any necessary changes to send the message you intend to send to anyone paying close attention.
Aside from gear on your keychain, like flashlights and knives, there are other pieces of everyday carry gear you should have available either on your person or in a go-bag.
