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Tuesday, August 26, 2025

The Greatest Place To Conceal Cash: Conversations With A Burglar


Mugshot of John MacLean notorious burglar and rapist,
Mugshot of John MacLean, reputed to have burgled over 2,000 properties. Picture supply: Palm Seaside County Sheriff’s Workplace.

Editors observe: This story is a private vignette of an opportunity dialog with a burglar.  The story follows beneath:

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I had fairly the attention-grabbing dialog some time again with an individual who occurred to be a former burglar.

It was nice timing as a result of I used to be questioning if one thing just like the skid mark underwear for hiding cash would actually work. I additionally figured that in the event you needed to know the very best place to cover your cash from a burglar, a former burglar was the particular person to ask.

I began off merely and was not shocked by the reply to the query “the place is the very best place to cover your cash?

On the financial institution,” he mentioned with a sly grin

Once I rephrased and requested the place the very best place to cover cash and valuables in the home could be in the event you had such gadgets there, I used to be taken a bit without warning by his reply:

It doesn’t matter how intelligent you assume you’re or the place you cover it in your own home, if I’ve sufficient time, I might be capable of discover the place you stash your valuables,” he mentioned bluntly. He then defined that what was rather more necessary than the precise place the place you cover your valuables is that you just perceive a burglar’s motivations. Principally, he has two:

1. To steal your cash and valuables

2. To get out of the home as shortly as potential with these items

If you start to think about it from this angle, how you must cover your cash modifications a bit. Clearly, you don’t need to depart all of your cash within the locations the place the burglar will first look: dresser drawers, drawers by telephones, desks, closets, a protected (if not bolted down), containers, jewellery containers, purse, and many others.). That being mentioned, you additionally don’t need to cover your whole cash too effectively for the next motive:

If I can’t discover cash and valuables within the regular locations I normally discover them, I might proceed to tear the home aside till I discovered one thing. Keep in mind, the primary rule is to to steal cash and valuables. We’ll maintain trying till we discover one thing.

Your greatest technique, then, is to really depart some cash in apparent locations for the burglar to shortly discover (the identical applies in the event you maintain all of your cash within the financial institution). This cannot solely save your different stash of cash, however may very well maintain the burglar from destroying your house as he seems for the place you could have hidden your cash. In the event that they consider they might have discovered the money that you’ve got in the home, they’re much much less more likely to maintain trying (keep in mind, they need to get out asap). In the long run, in the event you cover all of your cash effectively, it’s possible you’ll win an ethical victory in not letting the burglar discover the cash, however you’ll doubtless have rather more harm carried out to your house that may find yourself costing you extra in the long term.

The following apparent query was “How a lot cash must you depart for the burglar to search out?

It depends upon the realm the place you reside. In case you are in a upscale group and solely depart $100, I might assume there’s extra and maintain trying. In a special a part of city $100 would persuade me I discovered all the cash that was there and depart.

With regards to hiding valuables, his suggestion is to mark an envelope in an simply accessible drawer or with information by your pc with “Financial institution Secure Deposit Field” on the surface and an inventory of things on the within. This may tip off the burglar that your most precious gadgets are saved on the financial institution and can discourage him from tearing up your own home searching for them.

So the query of the place is the very best locations to cover cash nonetheless hadn’t been answered?

Your baby’s room.

His primary suggestion for cash was in toys in a younger baby’s room. As he defined, younger youngsters don’t have cash, they’ve an abundance of toys and most mother and father don’t belief a toddler round cash. Due to this fact, mother and father will hardly ever cover cash there. As well as, when cash is hidden, it’s normally hidden away neatly and securely — a toddler’s room isn’t a neat place making it an unlikely place for cash to be hidden. Plus with all of the stuff in a toddler’s room, it isn’t someplace {that a} burglar can search shortly and get out (rule #2).

In a bolted down protected.

You probably have a protected, it must be professionally bolted down so it may well’t simply be eliminated. For those who depart some token cash for the burglar to search out within the locations they usually search for cash, then anyplace you wouldn’t usually take into account a spot to cover valuables will normally maintain these valuables protected. The underside of trash cans, inside laundry detergent, inside false packaging (however provided that the packaging seems actual and is within the applicable place – “If you discover a Campbell’s soup can within the bed room, you could have a fairly good concept there’s cash inside”) have been some examples he gave.

And my query of whether or not skid mark underwear could be a very good place to cover cash?

He laughed. “I haven’t heard of that, however I doubt I might have touched one thing like that had I seen it.

You additionally must be sensible about the place you cover the cash.

He associated one time an individual had left wads of cash contained in the empty battery areas of electronics round the home. The issue was that though he had not discovered the hidden cash at first, the electronics themselves have been value cash and he took these to promote. Solely when he received dwelling and was checking that all the things labored did he discover the hidden money. The particular person hid the cash effectively, however not in a very good place.

Listed below are some ideas from a private finance angle.

in the event you do cover cash someplace round the home, ensure that your vital different (or somebody shut) is aware of the place your hiding place is. If one thing unlucky occurs to you and no person is aware of the place your hidden stash is, it’s unlikely that they may be capable of discover it if a burglar isn’t capable of finding it. Worse, it may very simply be by accident thrown away relying on the place it’s hidden.

For Extra On Stopping Crime In Your Residence

The burglar mentioned much more, however to wrap this up, I needed to share just a few attention-grabbing concepts for hiding money in your house.

1. Ps Concealment Clock – Rectangle

clock diversion safeThrough Amazon.com $55.12.

The time period “hiding in plain sight” involves thoughts with this protected. The advantages of this protected are that it seems identical to common clock that you just might need in your mantelpiece. It additionally has that mid-western innocuous center class really feel to it, which suggests burglars are more likely to miss it. This protected comes with a key locking mechanism. Whereas the house inside is modest with solely a 3′ depth the it’s excellent for hiding money, necessary papers or different small valuables.  You may get it on Amazon.

2. Fast Vent Secure

Quick Vent Safe With RFIDThrough Amazon.com $99.00.

The QuickVent Secure locking system is an effective place to cover and safe weapons, cash, jewellery, and different small valuables. The protected seems identical to an HVAC vent so it blends in on any wall, successfully hiding your valuables in plain sight. This protected is ideal for dwelling protection weapons – however secured from thieves or youngsters. It’s a bit pricier than a number of different dwelling safes and it requires extra set up problem, however may very well be value if it you retain massive quantities of money or necessary jewellery at dwelling.  You may get it at Amazon right here.

3. Hidden Door Stash Secure

hidden door safeDIY Price: $0.00.

Lastly in the event you don’t need to spend any cash and you’re fairly helpful, take into account making a hidden door stash protected. What you do is drill a gap within the prime of one in every of your stable core wood doorways large enough for a cigar tube with a screw-on lid. Embrace a recessed lip to carry a prime that’s a bit larger than the tube — that manner, the tube gained’t fall contained in the door (a washer mounted to the cigar tube prime is the right lid). This stash spot is fairly small, however its large enough for money and a few varieties of jewellery.

Lastly, right here is an interview with burglar Michael Shayne Durden. Durden was a 20 yr profession Texas burglar working in Collin and Dallas counties. His perception is instructive.

Half II: Don’t Conceal Cash In The Bathroom: Extra Dialog With A Burglar

Photograph Credit score: Ali de Niese

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