What I Learned After My Home Was Burglarized
"It could've been worse."
"At least you're OK.""It's only material things, they can be replaced."
Those were the things I heard most from people after my apartment was broken into. They were all true, but it's still hard to not be upset! But what can I do now? I learned that the cops are pretty much useless when these things happen. The burglary happened on Friday and on Monday they called me saying they're closing the case because there's no lead.
I did at least learn about some things that would be useful to prevent losses in the future, though, short of being more vigilant about your door deadbolts and windows. Here are some things you may want to keep in mind to protect your belongings.
1. Your "Track My iPhone" function may be useless. They had stolen my iPad, but since they turned it off, there's no way to track where it is. Useless! Instead, I found out about Tile, a small tracking device you can put in your fancy handbags, or attach it to your valuable electronics, and track with your phone.
I'm getting one of these from Amazon next time I get an expensive bag: Tile (Gen 2) - Phone Finder. Key Finder. Item Finder - 4 Pack - Save 30%
Not to say you shouldn't use Track My iPhone. You still should, you never know. If the thieves were amateurs, that might have helped. If you use it, at least you can set your iPad to erase itself the next time it connects to a network, thereby protecting your digital data.
2. Your credit card may have a Purchase Protection plan. I found out that my Chase United visa card actually has a purchase protection against theft for items bought within 120 days, and they may reimburse up to $10,000 per claim! That would've really helped except most of the valuable stuff they stole I purchased 2 years ago or more. Still, good to know for the future. Keep in mind you normally have to file the claim within 48 hours of the theft occurring.
For me, I'll be sure to buy expensive things only with credit cards that have purchase protection from now on, and I'm liking my Chase United visa more (btw, if you sign up for the card now, you can get a bonus 30,000 miles)
3. Get renter's insurance. I didn't have one. I never thought of having one. Wish I had. My roommate has one of the cheapest plan, and although in her case she's still responsible for a $500 deductible, this may be worthwhile depending on just how much was stolen. Note that if your roommate has one, it will not cover your belongings!
4. The only other thing the cops would do is to register the serial numbers of your electronics as stolen property. Sometimes, they might pop up somewhere if it's being sold. Unlikely, but there's a chance. If you're like me, though, you wouldn't keep the box and won't have the serial numbers. As for your iPhone and iPads, if you've registered them on iCloud, Apple can help you retrieve this. In fact, you can log on to your iCloud profile and see your devices and their serial numbers.
I had purchased my iPad from Target, and they can actually retrieve the proof of purchase if you can tell them when, where, and how much your purchase was for. Luckily, I had all the information on my credit card statements. The proof of purchase had the serial number on it.
