BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/FOX58) — While having your home appear on Google Maps sounds like a good idea to help family and friends find it more easily, it can also give criminals an idea of how to use the images to easily access corners of entry.
Several SoCal residents are now using Maps to blur their homes.
RE/ MAX Golden Empire Realtor Nona Darling said it’s great to have different options available for safety, but masking up maps isn’t the only way to do it.
“Obviously less is more, right? So if you have less information on the internet, then there’s less for people to access. But I think sometimes a criminal might simply just go through a neighborhood and then choose a home, so it’s good to have a camera, a barking dog,” Darling said. “My understanding is that the number one deterrent against crime is a barking dog, so just be aware, lock your doors, don’t leave your doors wide open.”
Several neighborhoods in Kern County are hopping onto the trend.
Bakersfield police are familiar with getting calls for break-ins, and that list continues to grow.
“And if they’re trolling through Google Maps and they see something they might want to take from your home, or someone’s curtain is open, or maybe they have a really nice car in their driveway, they assume they have more disposable income they might then decide to target that home,” added Darling.
She said she has several clients that she has helped find a home in Rio Bravo Country Club.
While the place is open to the public for a game of golf, it’s also full of several homes and requires entry through a gate with a guard present.
Luckily that area is a safe one, said Darling.
“If you have something valuable and it’s on Google Maps, maybe look up your home and see what it looks like because it may not be a current photo… anyway so there’s a possibility that it may look different than it does online.”