SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — It can be fun to google your home and see what it looks like online, but the problem is other people can do that too. Some criminals may be casing neighborhoods online to plan their next break-ins.
CBS 8 is Working for You to show how you can blur your home on Google Maps and stay off the radar from prying eyes.
With home invasions on the rise across Southern California, plenty of burglars are casing neighborhoods ahead of time, many doing so in-person while some may perhaps use digital tools. Some homeowners have started to blur their homes on Google Maps for extra privacy and to deter would-be thieves.
“It’s probably a tool that they have utilized," said Mark Swineheart, Senior Engineer at Rancho Santa Fe Security Systems. “They’re going to be looking at, ‘Where’s the biggest bang for my buck?’”
To blur your home or business on the website, simply type in the address to locate it, go to the lower right corner and click on 'report a problem.' You can then choose what you want blurred, answer a couple questions, and then submit the change to Google pending their approval.”
Swineheart has been in the security business more than 40 years, and he tells CBS 8 there are plenty of ways to make your home less appealing.
“Having lighting on your property that kicks on as simple as going to Home Depot and buying a flood light and leaving the patio light on," said Swineheart. “Burglars are more afraid of a big dog than an owner with a gun. A dog is not worried about a lawsuit. He’s there to protect your home."
CBS 8 checked in with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and they told us that they haven’t seen any direct evidence of Google Maps being used in this way by criminals, but Swineheart said it’s feasible.
“It’s definitely a possibility," said Swineheart. "I think they’re looking at geographical locations where they know there are upper middle-class sections of homes that are of value, secluded, on a canyon, so they can come up the back side.”
Experts say it’s also good to have proper signage indicating whether you have an alarm system, cameras, or a guard dog. This blurring option on Google Maps is just one more of those kinds of tools.
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