In an age where everyone is looking at their phones, thieves are banking on people not noticing the camera hidden in their front yard.
Residents across Southern California have discovered small video cameras hidden near their homes, crudely assembled surveillance devices hidden among bushes or planters, wrapped in green plastic sheets and often connected to a battery. The cameras are hidden by thieves who want to know the schedules of their potential victims.
The scheme is not unique to any city or neighborhood in the United States, according to officials.
On Monday night in Alhambra, a resident found a camera hidden in a bush pointing at a nearby home in the 1900 block of South Primrose Avenue, the Alhambra Police Department announced in a Facebook post. The resident whose home was in the camera's spotlight had received a call from his home security company earlier that day saying that someone had tried to open his kitchen window.
There were no additional details about the investigation. But the incident speaks to a growing trend: While residents have turned to high technology to protect their homes, so have criminals.
The secret surveillance
For decades, law enforcement agencies have recommended that residents trim the hedges around their homes so they can have a clear view of their surroundings and minimize hiding places for intruders. Good outdoor lighting is also recommended to avoid becoming an easy target for thieves.
But now law enforcement agencies are warning people to be wary of camouflaged packages in their yards.
A thief may stake out a neighborhood by driving around the area or posing as a salesperson to see when residents are home, Alhambra police say in a notice. But a hidden camera allows a criminal to monitor a home without having to stay in the neighborhood. Then they can review the video later.
This hidden camera was found in the bushes in front of a house in Garden Grove.
(Garden Grove Police Department)
“It could be any type of camera that is digital and wireless. It could be cheap; it could be costly,” said Sgt. Vahe Abramyan of the Glendale Police Department. “You can go to Amazon or Best Buy to get one.”
The cameras that have been discovered and shared by law enforcement agencies in recent months are about a quarter the size of a typical cell phone and are typically connected to a portable battery bank to keep the device charged. Most cameras use a memory card, but others are connected to a mobile hotspot that allows the device to send data remotely, according to Abramyan.
“The suspects will return and retrieve their cameras before committing a robbery,” he added.
Rare, but worrying
Cases of camouflaged cameras being found are rare, but have occurred several times in Southland in recent months.
A Garden Grove resident discovered in late May that a camera had been hidden in a neighbor's bush and was pointed at his house. It was unclear who left the device.
The homeowner told news station KTLA that the neighbor thought he saw trash in his bush, but instead found a bag with a camera and battery inside, and it had been pointed at his house. He said the incident was disturbing.
In Glendale, police arrested four men after they were detained during a traffic stop the night of May 20. The men were leaving a cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood. They had the lights off. During the search of the vehicle, agents found a video surveillance camera with a portable battery charger in a shopping bag. The camera and battery were wrapped in green plastic sheets, police said in a news release, and officers found a pot on the street with freshly turned dirt that they believed was where the suspects recovered the camera.
The agents also found several boxes intended to store jewelry in the car. There was also a construction helmet and vest, which could be used to approach a home without attracting attention, police said.
The men were identified as Bryan Martínez Vargas, 28 years old; José Antonio Velásquez, 28; Edison Arley Pinzón Fandino, 27; and Luis Carlos Moreno, 29, according to police, and were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery. Police said the men were part of a “robbery tourism” ring. The groups, made up of Chilean and Colombian citizens, use surveillance equipment as part of their tactics to break into homes in wealthy neighborhoods, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in an advisory.
Vargas was previously involved in a high-speed chase when Glendale police responded to reports of a residential burglary call in the Crescenta Highlands neighborhood, authorities said.
In police dash camera video, a man police say is Vargas can be seen jumping out of a vehicle as it stops on a highway exit. Police observed someone throw several objects out of the vehicle during the chase, including a device used to disrupt Wi-Fi signals, according to the department.
Thieves use Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt home surveillance equipment that normally connects via a wireless Internet connection, Abramyan said. Those jammers could potentially disable a doorbell camera that is not connected to the home's electrical system.
It is illegal to be in possession of a jamming device, but it is not illegal to sell it, Abramyan said. Blockers are not difficult to buy online.
Don't become complacent
Incidents in which hidden cameras have been discovered are isolated, but have drawn media attention, said security consultant Rick Navarro. And that's a good thing, he said.
“These … are good conversations for people to have,” said Navarro of ACS Home Security. “We don't want people to become complacent about their home security.”
In the security industry, clients often call ACS after the theft has already occurred, Navarro said.
“That responsibility to protect your property falls on the individual,” he said, “because it really is a game of cat and mouse.”
But there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are tips from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles Police Department:
- Make a habit of regularly inspecting the exterior of your home and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in the neighborhood.
- If you discover a hidden camera, immediately call your local law enforcement agency to document and pick up the device.
- Switch from wireless to wired. Anyone who wants to prevent Wi-Fi interference can ask their Internet provider or an electrician to wire their burglar alarm system, connecting it to their router using cables.
- It may be advisable to place electronic trackers inside some valuables. The LAPD recommends Apple Air Tags or similar trackers, which can be placed inside an object (such as a bag or jacket) and tracked via a smartphone.
- Protect your circuit breakers. Residents can invest in a lock for their electrical circuit boxes to prevent easy access by thieves who want to interfere with the alarm system.
- Make it harder to get in. The LAPD recommends that anyone with a sliding door place a metal bar on the bottom rails to prevent it from opening and install motion sensor lighting for when no one is home.
