Burglar posing as food delivery driver arrested in California — how to protect your home from prowlers

Yahoo

14-05-2025

The rise of food delivery apps has made it so that unfamiliar cars on your block don't necessarily raise suspicions. But CBS News Los Angeles reports that some criminals are now posing as delivery drivers to scout out homes to rob.
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In April, police officers were called to the 3300 block of Balzac Street in Alhambra after getting reports of a suspicious person who seemed to be posing as a driver for Uber Eats. The "food delivery person" was asking residents if they had ordered DoorDash.
"Turns out, she wasn't delivering food but rather checking if the house was vacant," said the Alhambra Police Department in an Instagram post. "We don't think she even knew which app she was pretending to work for."
Ordering food delivery is a convenience many people enjoy. The problem is that because it's become such a common thing, people posing as food delivery drivers may not arouse suspicion.
What happened in Alhambra, per CBS News, is that police arrested a group of three people for residential burglary. According to police, the fake delivery driver walked up to a home to see if it was vacant.
Once she confirmed no one was home, she signaled to her remaining crew members to move forward with a robbery while she served as a lookout.
"The suspects jumped the fence and forced entry. Just as they started grabbing stuff, they noticed APD outside and decided to play hide-and-seek," said the Alhambra Police Department on Instagram.
The lookout/fake delivery driver tried to warn her crew that the police were there via text, but she got arrested. With assistance from police dogs, a perimeter was established and the remaining criminals were caught.
Similar burglaries have occurred in Southern California before. In 2024, a Monrovia man was arrested for breaking into four homes in the city after posing as a delivery driver. He reportedly carried around a food bag.
"Definitely a unique set of circumstances with using that delivery appearance," IPD spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp told CBS News. "It allowed him to knock on doors, look around on his phone as if he was lost. So, definitely helped him blend into the area."
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There were 457,558 home burglaries reported in the U.S. in 2023, according to the FBI. Residences were by far the most targeted property for this sort of crime, with the second-highest category being office buildings at 51,892 reports.
It's important to take steps to protect your home — and to minimize the blow if your house does end up being targeted. To that end, one thing you can do is install a security system — ideally one with video cameras.
But if you're going to install a security system, make sure it's turned on every time you leave the house. It's not a given that criminals will try to rob you at night.
Sometimes, burglars intentionally try to rob homes during the day because that's when people are more likely to be out at work. Or, they may try to target your home in the evening, when people may be out to dinner.
Meanwhile, it's important to do a walk-through of your home before you leave to make sure you're not giving a burglar easy access. Lock your doors and windows, and make sure sliding doors are latched.
Dogs can also be a huge deterrent for home invaders. If you've been on the fence about adopting one, consider the added benefit of having a pet whose bark might scare would-be intruders away.
At the same time, take steps to make your home's exterior as illuminated as possible at all times, but especially at night. Invest in automatic lighting that's triggered by motion outside of your home.
An intruder may be more apt to run away if a large beam of light starts illuminating the property as they're trying to sneak in. Also, keep trees and bushes trimmed so people can't easily hide behind them.
Meanwhile, it's important to take steps to protect your most valuable belongings. You could buy a safe and store things like jewelry there, but a burglar might be able to either crack it or take it with them and get into it once they're off the premises. An even better bet may be to store valuables in a safe deposit box you rent from the bank.
Another strategy you could try is hiding jewelry and other valuables in random drawers of your home while filling a portable safe with items of little value, like soap or batteries. That way, if someone breaks into your home, they might see the safe, assume it's got your most prized possessions, grab it, and leave without taking anything of real value.
Whether you rent your home or own it, it's important to make sure your insurance policy covers you in the event of theft as well as property damage. Read through your documents carefully and call your insurer if you have questions about your coverage.
It's also a good idea to have money set aside in an emergency fund in case you're robbed and encounter unplanned expenses that your insurance company doesn't pay for or reimburse right away.
For example, if your laptop is stolen and you need it in order to work, you may not get a check from your insurer for weeks. You need funds to be able to replace that device so you're not forced to go without an income.
Finally, aim to maintain a home inventory of your most valued possessions so that if a burglary occurs, you'll know what's missing. You don't have to list every single bottle of shampoo or pair of socks. But items of substantial value such as jewelry, outerwear, handbags, and electronics should be included in that document.
Store a copy of that inventory online so that even if your laptop is stolen, you'll have a copy. You may need to provide this information to law enforcement and your insurance company as you attempt to pick up the pieces.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.