Major Criminal Trend Hits Southern California Neighborhoods

Criminals are using the latest technology in a bid to steal from people’s homes.

While homeowners often use cameras to protect their property, a disturbing trend hitting Southern California shows that the criminals have turned the tables, using them for nefarious activity.

“Security cameras are so prevalent and affordable nowadays that criminals are adding them to their arsenal,” security expert and managing editor at Safehome.org Rob Gabriele tells Realtor.com®.

While visiting her parents with her children in tow, an Encino, CA, woman spotted a small camera mounted in a tree on the property, along with a nearby hard drive.

“We’re all shaken, and we couldn’t believe that they are watching my parents’ activity here, and God knows how long it’s been there and they didn’t even notice,” the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told KTLA.

“They want to see probably when my parents are not home, the car is getting out of the garage. Basically, they see if you’re not here, that’s a good opportunity for them to come and break in,” she said.

Why cameras are being hidden on properties

“It’s disconcerting,” security expert Kirk MacDowell, founder of MacGuard Security Advisors, tells Realtor.com. “What these bad actors are trying to do is learn the habits of individual homeowners to make a determination of when to break in.

“The outdoor hidden cameras could be from thieves, burglars—or potentially home invaders—casing a property for an opportunity to break in,” adds Gabriele. “Hidden cameras can also be used as a way to stalk someone.”

Encino isn’t the only Southern California neighborhood experiencing this frightening trend.

In September, three men from Colombia were arrested in connection with a camera found wrapped in black electrical tape and embedded in the landscaping of a homeowner’s property in Temecula.

At first, law enforcement suspected the device was a bomb and cleared the area. They later found the device contained “improvised video recording components.”

In this case, the homeowner’s own camera ended up catching the suspects, and it recorded them planting the device and driving away in a minivan.

Police suspect the men belong to a criminal gang that targeted the area “with the intent to commit burglary.” Burglary is an event that happens when no one is home. Robbery is when force or fear is used.

In October 2024, a homeowner in Arcadia found a camera camouflaged to look like shrubbery on their property.

“Camouflaged cameras are a tactic being used in residential burglaries,” local police said in a news release. “Suspects will place hidden cameras in areas where it allows them to gather information about neighborhoods and homeowners’ daily routines.”

Police said they’ve seen an uptick in cameras hidden on properties, and had also found them in Alhambra, Chino Hills, Garden Grove, Goleta, and other Southern California towns.

Last April in Santa Barbara, where the median home listing is $3 million, a hidden camera was discovered by gardeners working on a home on the 200 block of Via El Encantador.

The camera, with its battery pack and memory card, was disguised with camouflage tape and plants.

Targeting Los Angeles

While this activity has been reported across the country, including in the upscale New York suburb of Scarsdale, Los Angeles County is a popular target. Not only are homes often high value, but many have front yards with plenty of places to conceal recording devices.

“They do seem to be targeting higher value areas,” says MacDowell, who grew up in Los Angeles and worked in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy for 28 years.

Additionally, MacDowell says the local police force is so overwhelmed that it is taking “longer and longer” to respond to calls, something criminals are aware of.

Who is behind the cameras

Investigators believe cameras are being planted by a highly sophisticated ring of foreign nationals who come to the U.S. for “burglary tourism.”

The thieves will travel to wealthier areas of the country with the intent to burglarize homes, then return to their home countries.

The suspects usually target affluent coastal neighborhoods and homes that border trails, golf courses, and parks, said law enforcement.

They often bring heavy tools with them to break into houses and safes, spy on the homes to figure out when residents aren’t around, and then make their move.

They then ship the stolen items back to their homes or sell them before they abscond.

What you can do

MacDowell says one low-tech way to throw thieves like this off track is to vary your routine, which the cameras are allowing criminals to learn.

“Leave at different times each day,” he advises. “One day, leave at 8:05 a.m. The next day, leave at 7:45 a.m. and so on. Also vary your route. One day, take a left out of the driveway; the next, take a right. You’re really going to confuse the individual.”

When searching for cameras that might be stowed on your property, MacDowell says they are usually placed high up to get a better vantage.

“If you want to look, start high and go low,” he says, but warns cameras are often so well concealed, that you won’t find them.

His biggest piece of advice is to invest in a good, modern security alarm system. These days, they are not too expensive, and the cameras are so sophisticated that they can tell the difference between a dog, a coyote, or a deer—or a person.

They can even tell if a person is on all fours trying to pretend to be a dog.

Security systems can be set to talk to people on your property, saying something like, “Get off the property,” “You are being recorded,” or “You are on private property and the police have been notified.”

Also, do not get complacent.

“Always have your alarm set,” MacDowell warns. “After three months, people tend to turn them off because nothing has happened. But that’s exactly when something will happen.”

Realtor.com has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.

Other tips to safeguard against becoming a burglary victim

• Always lock doors and windows, including the upper floors, where thieves have been known to enter because they know people often leave the upper floors unprotected.
• Lock doors even if stepping outside for only a few minutes.
• Put up high fences around the property.
• Make certain your home doesn’t look “vulnerable.” For example, pick up newspapers off the front step, make sure mail and packages are taken away.
• Bright lighting is an excellent deterrent for thieves, so keep your outdoor areas well-lit or install motion-detector lights.
• Keep shrubs and gardens well-trimmed, and check regularly for devices.
• Thieves often work in packs, and someone will drop off the thieves to plant devices or do the thieving. If you see a suspicious vehicle, write down the plate number.
• If you think your home has been broken into, do not enter. Immediately call the police.