Home burglary is a crime that can impact just about anyone. Burglary doesn’t discriminate based on anything other than whether or not a victim offers easy access to valuables. So it’s no surprise to learn that sophisticated burglars are even targeting the rich and famous. When that happens, homeowners have to be just as sophisticated.

The general rule among burglars is to hit the softest targets. The vast majority of burglaries take place in middle class neighborhoods. But a recent spate of burglaries targeting wealthy professional athletes demonstrates that sophisticated criminals aren’t afraid to go after bigger targets if the payoff is worthwhile.

NBA and NFL Players

Both the NBA and NFL have begun warning their players to better safeguard their homes against burglary. The warnings come after burglars hit homes belonging to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Mike Conley Jr., and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Law enforcement believes that the burglaries are being pulled off by highly sophisticated “transnational South American theft groups.” There is also some speculation, at least in the cases of Mahomes and Kelce, that the groups are using team schedules to figure out when their targets are on the road.

The icing on the cake is law enforcement’s belief that the burglars are highly organized and equipped with sophisticated equipment including Wi-Fi signal jammers. If their suspicions are true, the burglars will be hard to stop with traditional home security systems alone.

Think Like a Burglar

These sorts of reports could make average Americans feel unsafe in their own homes. After all, what good is a home security system if burglars have access to tools capable of bypassing security cameras, motion sensitive lighting, and so forth? Yet there’s no need to panic here.

In more than a decade of researching and writing on home security and smart home automation, I’ve learned one thing about preventing burglary: the key is to think like a burglar. Walk around your house and ask yourself how a burglar might try to gain access to your home. And once inside, what would that burglar likely go after?

Make Burglary a Difficult Proposition

Sophisticated burgers are willing to go to great lengths to burglarize the homes of the rich and famous. They are willing to organize and invest in sophisticated equipment. Why? Because the upscale homes they are targeting offer a payoff large enough to make the investment profitable.

The average middle-class home isn’t a profitable target for such sophisticated criminals. Likewise, the average burglar still does things the old-fashioned way. That’s where you, as a homeowner, have the advantage.

Burglar-Proof Your Home

A couple of years ago, Vivint Home Security published a post explaining how homeowners could burglar-proof their homes for the coming winter. It’s a good post and well worth reading. However, here is my summary: the way to burglar-proof your home is to make burglary a difficult proposition. Make it as difficult as you possibly can.

Start by installing a top-of-the-line home security system. Then add deadbolt locks to your doors, security locks to your windows, and security glass on your basement windows. Practice common safety tips like managing your lighting and making sure the view of your home from the street is unobstructed.

The more steps you can take to put roadblocks in front of burglars, the more likely they are to avoid your house. You can be just as sophisticated as those burglars who would victimize you. Meet them where they are, and you can beat them at their own game.