My Reno house being cased out?

[DonTom]

This morning when I got up (Reno) I looked at all my cameras on-line, including the local ones. And I noticed two of the cameras in front of the house (front yard) are pointed into the ground.

Fortunately, I have 12 cameras around my Reno home and have several cameras looking at other cameras.

So I played back to DVR and at a few seconds before 0130 hrs I see this (see the guy near the light from the camera on the tree limb just from before he pointed it into the ground. One of those cameras normally point to my garage and the other points to the front of the house. So I checked the camera pointing out from the house.


I have no clue who that is and he had his face well covered from what I could tell as he walked into my front yard via the gate.

Anyway, the guy left, a few seconds after pointing those two cameras into the ground.

I checked everything when light and so far, noticed no problems. I made sure my Dodge Ram parked in the front driveway still has its catalytic converters and all else I could think of. Looks like he just came to put the cameras down, perhaps to see if I am home. Anyway, I put them back up.

I came to my Auburn house today because I need to take my Y2K RV to Reno for its yearly smog check. I didn't change any plans because of this, but I will be keeping an eye on everything as much as I can from here.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Rene T]

Besides the cameras, do you have a whole house security system?

 

[jackiemac]

Have you got any trail cameras that would be able to be put somewhere to catch vehicle plate and face?

 

[ziplock]

Anyway, the guy left, a few seconds after pointing those two cameras into the ground.

Well, obviously, if he did that, he is not a friend.

So, you need to make a police report.

And you might want to ask your neighbors if they have seen anyone lurking around.

OR, do you think it might be a neighbor? Maybe he thinks you are spying on him?

I am surprised they didn't just rip it down. Was the guy wearing gloves? He might have left fingerprints. They can eliminate your prints from the camera.

You need to mount those cameras out of reach.

 

[Skookum]

Well, he can't be up to anything good, that's for sure.

Jackie has a good suggestion, a hidden trail cam or two that are off-network that can still take pictures of that area, and of anyone coming/going.

If you're not going to drive the truck or it's going to be left there, make sure it doesn't have remotes/keys inside of it to get into the house, and consider disabling it in a way only you know how (pull ignition/ fuel pump fuses or relays, remove a plug wire and re-wire a spark plug wire or two, etc)

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Very creepy. There is no assumption to be made other than it's something nefarious. Maybe a neighbor has a ring camera or whatever that might have gotten a different view? I'd bet they'd be interested in knowing about a prowler in their midst in any event.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[UTTransplant]

We have our cameras at the eves of the house. While it would be possible to get to most of them with a ladder, it wouldn’t be easy. We also have motion sensors in the house. When we are gone, those are turned on. It was easy to integrate the motion detectors into the rest of the Ring camera/alarm system we have, but I bet the same is true for any basic system as long as you stay with the same manufacturer. You might want to check them out. We are gone so often and for such long periods that I feel a lot more comfortable with a combo of cameras and motion detectors.

 

[DonTom]

Maybe he thinks you are spying on him?

Cameras facing in at my house won't see any neighbors, and I would doubt that anyway.

Anyway, all good this morning, I just now checked my dozen cameras there from here.

I did send an email to my next-door neighbors, but that is all.

Perhaps somebody saw my six motorcycles in my garage there while the garage was open (other five are here). I hear some garages have been ripped-off in the area, and local landscaping and other outside workers are highly suspect of casing out the area during the day and coming back at weird times during the night, but no real evidence.

make sure it doesn't have remotes/keys inside of it to get into the house

No keys or remotes inside and I am not too worried about that old 1999 2WD Dodge Truck.

I think somebody moved the cameras to see if I am home. Since they got moved back, that perhaps is telling them I am home.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

Besides the cameras, do you have a whole house security system?

I did, but because of false alarms, I got rid of it. High wind levels there cause too much window vibrations and other issues with alarm systems.

BTW, ~96% of home alarm reports are false alarms.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

You need to mount those cameras out of reach.

Then I would have cut cables instead of them being only moved where no damage was done.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Onyrlef]

Cameras facing in at my house won't see any neighbors, and I would doubt that anyway.

Anyway, all good this morning, I just now checked my dozen cameras there from here.

I did send an email to my next-door neighbors, but that is all.

Perhaps somebody saw my six motorcycles in my garage there while the garage was open (other five are here). I hear some garages have been ripped-off in the area, and local landscaping and other outside workers are highly suspect of casing out the area during the day and coming back at weird times during the night, but no real evidence.


No keys or remotes inside and I am not too worried about that old 1999 2WD Dodge Truck.

I think somebody moved the cameras to see if I am home. Since they got moved back, that perhaps is telling them I am home.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Put a sign out front “These vehicles are electric, no returns”.

 

[DonTom]

Have you got any trail cameras that would be able to be put somewhere to catch vehicle plate and face?

I did get somewhat of a view of the guy's well covered face as he walked into my front yard. No face to see. This was obviously planned.

I assume the guy parked well down the street, if there were a vehicle involved.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

Put a sign out front “These vehicles are electric, no returns”.

I know you're just being silly, but . . . .

Right now, six of my seven electric vehicles are here in Auburn. Only one electric in Reno at this time. I think most can figure out the others are not electric. IOW, my thousand lbs. Harley Road Glide Ultra and the others do not look at all like electrics.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[ziplock]

I think somebody moved the cameras to see if I am home.

So he wants to know if you are home? Wonder why he wants to know if you are home? Is that what you ask yourself?

What answer did you come up with?

Maybe he wants to know when you are home so he can come over and become friends with you.

Maybe it was an April Fools Joke?

 

[DonTom]

So he wants to know if you are home? Wonder why he wants to know if you are home? Is that what you ask yourself?

What answer did you come up with?

Maybe he wants to know when you are home so he can come over and become friends with you.

Maybe it was an April Fools Joke?

Often house rip-offs are well planned. They case out the house over several days and do such to tell if I am home. For an example, if I am on an RV trip, that could be a good time to rip off a house. Or if the guy notices I am not there often, such as packages waiting for days on the front porch to be picked up. Or the mailbox has mail from the days before.

They normally don't want to rip-off a house when people are home. And in NV, I could legally blow the guy's head off without all the legal BS trouble I would be in as here in CA--where it sometimes seems they want to go after the good guy more than the criminal when a gun is used.

BTW, I did notice it happened on April Fool's Day, but I doubt if that had anything to do with it.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[jackiemac]

I'd be letting the police know and definitely getting some alarms.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

They don't have to "see into your garage",,, you splash it all over the net almost daily..>>>Dan

 

[Rene T]

Often house rip-offs are well planned. They case out the house over several days and do such to tell if I am home. For an example, if I am on an RV trip, that could be a good time to rip off a house. Or if the guy notices I am not there often, such as packages waiting for days on the front porch to be picked up. Or the mailbox has mail from the days before.

They normally don't want to rip-off a house when people are home. And in NV, I could legally blow the guy's head off without all the legal BS trouble I would be in as here in CA--where it sometimes seems they want to go after the good guy more than the criminal when a gun is used.

BTW, I did notice it happened on April Fool's Day, but I doubt if that had anything to do with it.

-Don- Auburn, CA

A couple of game cameras like Jackie said wouldn’t hurt. One pointing each direction may pick up a license plate.
Do you trust your neighbors? Ask them to walk around your house every day and report back to you if they come across something.
I would also put a table lamp on set up on a timer. Go on at whenever and off at whenever. Leave one shade open so the light can be seen from the road. A radio set up on a timer wouldn’t hurt either just like the light. Make sure it’s loud.

 

[jackiemac]

We have smart bulbs. You can put them on and off at set times and manually.

We also have blinds that are battery operated and do same.

 

[gwinger]

We have indoor lights set on timers that come on randomly throughout the day and night. Even one in the bathroom and couple in the basement. Motion lights on each side of the house. You can also have the post office do a mail hold. We do that and also hold the newspaper (yes we still get it delivered).
All the neighbors know when we are going to be gone, and keep an eye out.
We have the neighbor across the street park their car in the driveway.
Call the local police and see if you can set up a vacation watch. Our LEOs' will drive by a few times a day. One of them is a good friend and actually pulls into the driveways, gets out and walks around.
Anyone stalking the house will think twice.