For immediate release…
What Burglars Want
Christmas is a time of giving. Who doesn’t feel a surge of happiness when they unwrap their
gift under the tree to reveal latest smart phone or tablet? Or perhaps you have waited all
year to spend your bonus on a new flat screen TV for the family. If romance is order of the
day, you may have given your beloved a beautiful watch or piece of jewellery. But just as
your heart fills with joy, so will burglars when he gets his hands on your luxury goods.
Thieves want to steal items that they have buyers for (sometimes referred to as ‘fences’) so
that they can quickly convert the ‘hot’ goods into cash. It is no coincidence therefore that
your new flat-screen TV, electronic gadget or pretty piece of jewellery is an attractive target
for a thief. Most burglars target cash, electronic goods, jewellery and firearms because
there is an extensive black market for these items enabling them to make fast cash.
Despite the prevalence of armed home invasions in South Africa in most instances, burglars
prefer not to be in contact with the residents. They want to get in and out as quickly as
possible without being seen to reduce the risk of being caught.
It stands to reason that the first line of defence is to make your home an unattractive target.
Some sensible tips to make the house down the road a better option for a burglar are:
1) Tagging your valuables with microdot technology from Recoveri and make it known
through sign posting.
2) Dogs kept inside the house who will alert the owners to intruders.
3) Install an armed response security system and keep it in good working order.
4) Place panic buttons in easily accessible areas around the house.
5) Install sensor lighting that picks up movement in your garden.
6) Install beams in your garden that will trigger your alarm before the burglar gets to
your house.
7) Never let unknown people onto your property, no matter who they say they are.
8) Be careful when employing domestic staff or using contractors to work in your home
– always get copies of their ID’s and do a thorough background check. A lot of
burglaries are as a result of inside information or assistance.
9) Vary your routine.
10) Avoid disposing of packaging in your trash that will broadcast that you have recently
bought an expensive item such as a television. Chop up the box, tie it up in a black
plastic bag and place it inside the bin.
Recoveri Microdot technology as a deterrent
Tagging your items with microdot technology is an important crime deterrent as well as a
tool to recover your valuables in the event of theft. Burglars and syndicates will avoid micro
tagged goods as the tags are almost impossible to remove and rightful ownership is easily
and quickly identified under UV light.
Says Recoveri CEO, Philip Opperman: “Thieves want to get in and out as quickly as possible
with the items they know they can quickly shift into the black market. The first step is to
make your home difficult to access. The second is to use micro tag technology to make it
difficult to sell on any items stolen from you, rendering your valuables invaluable to
thieves.”
“Installing simple reactive security methods will not protect you from theft. Burglars and
syndicates are becoming more and more sophisticated and interviews with convicted
thieves prove that security systems did not pose a problem for them to bypass. The best
deterrent is to proactively employ a layered security approach. The combination of an
armed response alarm system, movement sensor lighting, a strict no access policy to
unknown individuals and employing technology like micro-tagging will make your household
a less desirable target. ”
-ENDSWords: 634
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
ABOUT RECOVERI
Recoveri is a South African owned and managed company established in 2004.
From humble beginnings, its primary focus was on researching and developing innovative
and technologically superior micro tag identification and tracking solution for vehicles and
other moveable domestic and corporate assets.
The company was established by local entrepreneur Philip Opperman who spent years
researching microdot technology, combining his knowledge with the skills and expertise of
local engineers and specialists to develop a truly South African and entirely locallyassembled solution to address the specific needs of local consumers and businesses.
The status of the company has now moved from “venture capital” through “seed capital”
and the product has gone to market through selective distribution channels.
The current crime situation in South Africa was a major driving force that inspired the
product. Being an ex-policeman Philip Opperman identified the micro tag technology as a
major criminal investigative tools as well as a proactive means of preventing theft, which
leads to more serious crime. Once an asset is tagged with the microdot technology, the
unique DNA in enacted, proving undisputed ownership. Thus the Recoveri brand was born.
The brand name “RECOVERI” is made up of the word “Recovery” meaning to recover an
asset and the “y” dropped and replaced with an “i” for information. The information
component of the brand is the Recoveri database.
Recoveri is situated on 1 St Margaret Street (Cnr St David), Hurlyvale, Edenvale, Gauteng.
They can be contacted on T: 011 453 0868 | E: phillip@recoveri.net | W: www.recoveri.net
Ends
Photos can be obtained from:
Maureen Sibeko
T: | 011 463 7792
E: | Maureen@wkg.co.za
Prepared for:
Brand Prophet | T: +27 (0) 11 463 7792 | E: info@brandprophet.co.za
Client:
RECOVERI | T: +27 (0) 11 453 0868 |
E: philip@recoveri.net | W: www.recoveri.net
Contact:
Philip Opperman | T: +27 (0) 11 453 0868| philip@recoveri.net
Prepared by:
Jodi Lynn Karpes
Date:
17 January 2014