Georgia 3rd in the Nation for Home Theft

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Thursday, December 15th, 2016

December and January rank as the top months for home theft due to the holiday season and increase in packages being delivered, July is the third highest month for home theft claims.
 
“Holidays are the time that Georgians are most at risk for being the victim of theft. Be aware of the danger and take precaution so that you don’t become a victim this holiday season” said State Farm Spokesman Justin Tomczak.
 
The top 10 list of states for home theft last year is for building and property theft and does not include identity theft. The State Farm Enterprise average cost of a crime-related claim is $2,789.
 
The top 10 states for home theft last year:
 
1. California - 12,907 claims

2. Texas - 7,633 claims

3. Georgia - 5,533 claims

4. Illinois - 5,517 claims

5. Ohio - 3,938 claims

6. Arizona - 3,02 claims

7. North Carolina - 2,902 claims

8. Washington - 2,886 claims

9. Indiana - 2,862 claims

10.Tennessee - 2,786 claims
 
From working, shopping, traveling, and spending time with friends and family, the holiday season can be a very busy and stressful time for many Americans. Even with these additional stressors, it’s important to use common sense safety precautions during the holidays and throughout the year. A survey from Nextdoor, the free and private social network for neighborhoods, showed that a majority of people are not taking proper precautions to protect their homes from fire and burglary. According to the survey, conducted by Harris Interactive among 1,910 U.S. adults aged 23 and over, nearly 60 percent of Americans did not follow common sense safety care to protect their homes from burglary, such as:

- 38 percent do not tell a neighbor they're going out of town

- 19 percent leave their house key in a nearby hiding place while they're away

- 12 percent let mail and newspapers pile up

- 10 percent broadcast that they are out of town on Twitter and Facebook

- 8 percent even leave a door or window unlocked

According to the Federal Bureau Investigation, nearly 400,000 burglaries occurred in the U.S. last November and December alone. Year round, a house, apartment, or condominium in the U.S. is burglarized once every 15 seconds. Believe it or not, it’s often the simplest and most obvious precautions that homeowners tend to forget—and which burglars tend to exploit. Here are some common sense safety tips to make sure your home doesn’t become a statistic:

Whatever the situation, you should always lock your doors and windows when you go out.

- Keep close track of any spare keys that exist.

- Be wary about posting your vacation plans and updates on social media websites

- Use automatic timers on lights when away

- Always park your cars in the garage with the garage door shut

- If possible, have your telephone calls forwarded when you are away from home

- Have a trusted neighbor pick up the mail and newspaper, take out your garbage and have your grass mowed / snow shoveled.

The same survey found that nearly 50 percent of Americans aged 23 and over increased their chances of a home fire because of decorating for the holidays:

- 34 percent connect multiple extension cords together

- 16 percent put up holiday lights without inspecting them for frayed cords

- 9 percent let their tree dry out after it is decorated in the home

- 9 percent have lit a fire without an annual chimney inspection

- 5 percent have left a burning candle unattended