Emergency Preparedness Handbook for the Home - Modern Family Encyclopedia

Author: Xu Yafan, Li Xiufang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Countermeasures When Strangers Break Into Your Home
Most visitors at the door are known to the family, but strangers often come too, some of whom may be thieves or scammers, so you should stay alert.
Stranger at the Door
(1) If someone knocks, first check through the peephole to see who it is. If you don’t recognize them, don’t unhook the chain.
(2) When an unannounced visitor arrives, verify their identity before opening the door. If they seem impatient during the questioning, it may indicate malicious intent.
(3) If the visitor provides a phone number to verify their identity, don’t trust it easily. Check the phonebook yourself and call them, making sure to ask them to wait outside while you close the door and rehook the chain, to prevent collusion with accomplices.
(4) If you still doubt the visitor’s identity, don’t open the door. If they refuse to leave, call the police.
(5) Remember, the longer you take to verify the visitor’s identity, the more likely you are to scare off someone with ill intentions.
(6) Only open the door and the iron gate after you’ve thoroughly confirmed that the stranger is not a burglar.
(7) If you live in an apartment building and a stranger requests entry via the intercom, regardless of how plausible their excuse is, don’t hastily open the main door downstairs.
(8) If you happen to encounter a stranger at the main door downstairs, don’t open it to avoid giving them access.
(9) All residents in the building can pool resources to install closed-circuit television and intercom systems. This way, you can clearly see who is visiting and verify their identity.
Countermeasures for Suspecting a Break-In at an Empty Home
(1) If you return home by car and notice a stranger inside, immediately drive away. The thief may not have noticed the homeowner’s return. If you return home on foot, continue walking along the sidewalk. Immediately try to call the police.
(2) If you reach your doorstep and discover or suspect a stranger inside, such as hearing the sound of moving furniture, seeing a broken door lock, or a half-opened main door, never enter.
(3) Immediately go to a neighbor’s house to borrow a phone to call the police or notify the building management. If you notice suspicious strangers loitering outside your home, you can also call the police for help.
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