The police warned of an alleged burglary with which thieves are trying to locate empty apartments.
There is one detail you should pay attention to.
You open the door and a piece of foam falls to the floor?
Then you should call the police.
In Mainz, the front door of a single-family house was prepared in this way in 2018.
The residents had previously noticed an unknown man who was at the front door * at lunchtime but did not ring the doorbell.
Nasty burglary?
That's behind it
Behind the foam part there is a
sophisticated mesh of burglars
, as the Mainz police explain.
The foam is stuck between the door to find out whether the apartment has been recently entered
-
if
it is on the floor, the burglar knows that the door has been opened and that someone is at home.
However, if the foam is in there for a long time, the resident could be on vacation.
The perfect opportunity for burglars to strike
.
The Rhineland Palatinate Police Headquarters also warned citizens some time ago in a message about this scam, which also works with a
plastic strip
: the burglars bend it into a U-shape and clamp it between the front door and the frame or fix it to garage doors and patio doors.
The plastic strip is usually transparent and a maximum of four centimeters long.
"This trick is intended to determine which houses are now vacant during the holiday season," it says.
The Mainz police advise to put such preparation objects aside in a way that does not damage the trace and to notify
the officers
.
To do this, contact the nearest police station - you should also report suspicious people in the neighborhood.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Also interesting
: on this day of the week, most of the burglars should be on the lookout.
Video: How celebrities protect themselves from burglars
Also read
: Commissioner explains: This is how burglars open house doors - without you noticing.
Video: With dogs against burglars