As Louisiana residents start thinking of trips for Mardi Gras or where to visit on vacation the safety and security of their cash and their valuables becomes an important issue. What should you take with you? What should you leave at home? Where in your home should you hide your cash or your valuables while you're not there?

Thief
Steve Lovegrove, ThinkStock
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These are all questions Louisiana travelers are bound to have asked themselves as they're packing their bags to leave, I know I have. So, what is the answer? We could have asked any number of local law enforcement agencies these questions but instead, we wanted to take a different angle. What if we asked a thief?

So we did.

Our "expert" tells us he has been involved in more than a few "visits" to people's homes while they weren't there. He agreed to speak with us as long as we didn't identify him. And, yes he did pay his debt to society for the poor choices that he made. That time allowed him to rethink his life and turn it around.  Which is why he was interested in helping people like you, avoid people like him.

Hand in jail
anurakpong
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My first question to my "expert" was this, Where is the best place to hide your cash? His answer was a bank. Then I got more specific. Where is the best place to hide cash in your house?

I was thinking I'd get an answer like "rolled up in some skid-marked underwear" or something disgusting like that but instead, my "friend" explained a good hiding place is less about the place and more about the time it takes to access that place. That's when my expert told me that if time was not an issue, he could find anyone's stash.

Sarah Brown via Unsplash.com
Sarah Brown via Unsplash.com
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But time is a luxury that thieves don't have, so to beat the thief you have to think like the thief. His methods for stealing your stuff are simple. He wants to get in, get out, and get gone, quick. So, your choice of hiding places needs to involve something that would take a lot of time to get to.

If you're thinking of an underwear drawer, think again, that takes five seconds for a thief to pull it out and dump it out. There is no digging involved. Furniture with drawers is the first place that bad guys look, especially in the master bedrooms.

Dirty Laundry
Staff Photo
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Our expert suggested that an adult bedroom is among the worst places to hide cash and valuables when you're away from home. He suggested a kid's room on a high bookshelf that might even require a step stool to reach. He also said cabinets under the bathroom or kitchen sink are not top of mind and you can stash the cash and valuables in an old soap box or shampoo bottle and most thieves would look right past them.

Chris Hardy via Unsplash.com
Chris Hardy via Unsplash.com
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Remember you want to choose locations that are not first, second, or even third thoughts and you want those locations to require an abundance of time to either access or look through.

Where is the Best Place to Hide Cash and Valuables in a Hotel Room?

The first thought most of us have would be the in-room safe. If the hotel is reputable then that's probably okay but remember a lock will only keep an honest man out, a thief will find a way. And you never know which employees might have a "master code" to open any combination you select.

Eunice Stahl via Unsplash.com
Eunice Stahl via Unsplash.com
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The worst place to hide money in a hotel is in the Bible on the nightstand. Our expert said that's the first place he'd look, the second place would be under the mattress. So, what should a traveler do?

Again, time is the key element. Even hotel thieves don't want to be in your room too long. They are looking for an easy grab-and-go. So, you want to make the thief spend time not only searching but actually acquiring access to your cash. Locked suitcases are actually not a bad idea, especially if they are large suitcases. It's pretty hard to hide a bright orange big bag when you're attempting to sneak out.

FruityPoppin via You Tube
FruityPoppin via You Tube
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Our expert suggested that when you travel you always travel with ziplock bags and duct tape. That way you can stash your cash or valuables in the bags and then tape those bags in some very out-of-the-way places. Such as underneath a dresser drawer or even behind or under the safe itself. Nobody thinks to look there.

You can even roll up cash and put it in a small plastic bottle and hide that in a toilet tank or inside the tissue dispenser. Some people even go so far as to pull the cap off one end of the shower curtain and slide it in there.

Shirley Tamir via YouTube
Shirley Tamir via YouTube
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But remember it's less about location and more about time consumption when it comes to creating a better hiding place. If you think like a thief, you'll soon figure out that hiding stuff in plain sight can be easy and effective as long as it takes a lot of time to gain access.

Our expert did suggest that you not keep all your cash and valuables in one spot. Most thieves will leave as soon as they found "something". You just don't want them to find everything. This is why it's not a bad idea to have a "decoy" wallet or purse with a few bucks, some old gift cards, and basically, stuff you'd want to throw away. Hide that in an obvious place and the thief might think they've hit a big score and actually be walking away with nothing.

Towfiqu Barbhuiya via Unsplash.com
Towfiqu Barbhuiya via Unsplash.com
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As always nothing is foolproof and there are some pretty crafty bad people out there. Our advice is don't make it easy, don't make it obvious, and don't make it too tempting by leaving a lot of valuables laying around.

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Gallery Credit: Jude Walker

 

 

 

 

 

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