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Crime Prevention Tip: Reduce Your Online Exposure to Residential Burglary Crews

Crime Prevention Tip: Reduce Your Online Exposure to Residential Burglary Crews

Detectives have analyzed dozens of residential burglaries committed by organized burglary crews. These criminal organizations travel the United States targeting affluent homes or homes of persons who they believe would possess valuable items inside their homes. In nearly every crime, the criminals have conducted on-line research of homes and/or neighborhoods prior to responding to conduct physical surveillance and eventually breaking into the homes. Below is a list of sites that have been utilized by these groups with instructions on how to remove your home from search results, thereby reducing the risk of becoming a burglary victim.

Property IQ– provides property data that could reveal ownership and financial details.

  1. Go to the PropertyIQ search page: https://www.propertyiq.com/
  2. Search for your listing by entering your address
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page with your listing
  4. Click “Opt Out”

Realtor– Hosts property listings and user profiles, potentially exposing personal information.

  1. Sign up for control of listing to manage your information: https://support.realtor.com/s/article/Adding-Photos-to-Listings#EditAndDeletePhotos

RealtyHop- Offers property records that may contain sensitive personal data.

  1. Use the Property Records Search to review and manage your information: https://www.realtyhop.com/property-records/search

Redfin- Displays property photos that could reveal personal details even after a sale.

  1. Follow Redfin’s process for Removing Photos on a Sold Home: https://support.redfin.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013247432-Removing-Photos-on-a-Sold-Home

ReHold– Maintains property listings that may include personal information

  1. Search for your listing on ReHold: https://rehold.com/
  2. To the right of your listing, click “Information Control”

Trulia– Hosts property listings and user profiles with potential personal data exposure

  1. Contact Trulia Support for privacy-related assistance: https://support.trulia.com/hc/en-us/articles/216543357-How-do-I-remove-photos-of-my-home-from-Trulia#:~:text=Trulia%20receives%20its%20photo%20data,ll%20be%20happy%20to%20help.

Zillow– Manages extensive property data and user profiles that may reveal personal information.

  1. Access the Owner Dashboard and contact support for privacy management: https://zillow.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/218578357-What-is-the-Owner-Dashboard

REMOVING CURBSIDE PICTURES OF YOUR HOME-

Bing Streetside– Controls visibility of your property and personal information in Bing’s Streetside imagery, reducing unwanted exposure.

  1. Go to Bing Maps: https://www.bing.com/maps
  2. Navigate to the location you want to blur
  3. Open it in Streetside mode
  4. Click “Report a privacy issue with this image”
  5. Fill out the form and submit it to Bing Streetside Privacy Report

Google Street View– Allows you to opt out of having your property and personal information displayed in Google Street View, enhancing privacy.

  1. Go to Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps
  2. Locate your property in Street View
  3. Click “Report a problem” at the bottom right
  4. Select the area you want to blur
  5. Fill out the form and submit it to Opt-Out of Google Street View
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