Ellie Kemp
A former burglar has revealed the ways homeowners can prevent their properties from being broken into.
The woman, from the US, took to Reddit to explain how she began burgling houses at the age of 16 - but, a decade on, has changed her ways.
She claims to have spent two years behind bars as a result of her crimes, but now lives a very different life married and with a child.
Taking to Reddit's 'AMA' forum, the former burglar explained: "I made this account for this specific reason. I'm 26 years old (female), from the United States. I'm a former home-burglar, convicted and served 2 years of a three year sentence.
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"I started when I was 18. I was homeless, living in a shelter, and had developed a drug problem beginning at the age of 16.
"I was burglarizing homes to try and get out of the shelter and into decent housing, but a lot of my money went to fuelling bad habits."
She continued: "I've since gotten sober, got married and have a beautiful little girl. I have a job and we are living a very happy life. It's a struggle still, but I'm in a much better place mentally."
One curious homeowner asked how they could best protect their homes.
And the former criminal explained how one simple act could be a major deterrent for burglars.
She explained that security cameras and Ring cameras are good for 'facial identification,' while alarm systems are also useful.
But she warned: "People should educate themselves on how to properly use them."
She then revealed simply keeping the TV on can cut down your chances of being targeted.
"Leaving a TV on can also give the impression that someone is home, and you're more likely to be left alone," she added.
Better yet, doing so won't cost you too much money either.
Say you own a 'large' TV, between around 49 and 59 inches. If you were to leave it on for two hours each day while you're out the house running errands, it would cost you an extra 71 cents per month, according to Perch Energy's calculator.
Elsewhere in the thread, the former burglar revealed other details which put her off breaking into certain houses.
She said she avoided homes with dogs outside 'out of fear that it would bark and alert someone.'
"Realistically dogs bark at everything though and I know now it wouldn't be an issue," she admitted.
She also explained the houses she'd target, adding: "The houses I looked at most were the ones that didn't have cars in front during the day and had a backdoor entrance.
"I used to have a method of entering through doors by removing the door frame, but moved to a more practical approach of just breaking a window. So climbable windows were another big plus."