Burglaries: Watch out for this sheet of paper in letterbox trick on homes in France
Police in Brittany issue warning to residents
Police have received several calls about the seemingly innocuous sheets of A4 paper trick
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Police in Brittany have issued a warning to residents over a new technique that burglars are using to check if you are away from home.
The technique consists of placing a blank sheet of A4 paper in the letterbox, and checking to see which residents do not remove it.
“They leave it sticking out a little,” Christophe Croin, divisional commander of the Concarneau police in Finistère (Brittany), told French media. “‘I'm sounding the alarm: this is a method used by burglars to find out if someone is at home to pick up the mail.”
Social media reports appear to confirm the practice has become relatively widespread in Brittany, with many users puzzled by the seemingly innocuous blank sheets of paper.
Between January 22 and 23, Quimper police received five telephone calls about them.
“This is a new modus operandi here,” Quimper police commander Ronan Louarn told French media. “Several areas of Quimper have been targeted. All the calls we have received have been to houses in residential areas.”
Police advise residents to check their letterbox regularly and that of their neighbours who are absent.
What to do if you are away from home
Police in France can check on your home for free if you are away under the Opération Tranquillité Vacances service.
Once you have signed up, your local police will include your home on their patrols (sometimes passing by several times a day), and can contact you or investigate if anything appears suspicious or if there are any signs of trespassers or a break-in.
You can also designate a trusted neighbour who can be their immediate point of contact if anything happens.
The gendarmerie offers this service year-round in rural areas. For more information see here.
