Laura Morgan, from Wallasey, Merseyside has repeatedly found strange markings on her car windows at night.
She first noticed the marks on her car around two months ago, but thought they were drawn by her children.Â
She has thus shared pictures of the strange markings on her car which was parked outside her home – two crosses drawn onto the window of her car.
Seeing the sign sparks the belief that they are used by would-be burglars and thieves to communicate with each other.Â
Ms Morgan said: ‘It took almost two months for me to even realise what was happening, I thought it was kids at first, but it was happening between the hours of 10pm and 6am.’
It has now emerged that some criminals use secret markings to indicate things about a property, and the signs are interpreted below:
An X means that the property is a ‘good target’, while a circle with an X through it means that there is nothing deemed worth stealing.
A triangle symbol is used to indicate that a woman lives alone at the property, while vertical lines are used to show valuables inside.
A security firm Keytek has highlighted the issue saying: ‘These “robbery markings” or “burglar signals” are basic sketches and forms that are supposedly used as a “code” to determine whether a house is worth targeting.
‘These illustrations are also supposed to indicate to other thieves what type of person lives at the property, such as whether the residents are vulnerable, elderly, or live in a single-family home.’
It added: ‘Chalk is the main material burglars use as it is easily removed and not as noticeable as materials such as spray paint markings outside the house.
‘As well as burglar chalk signs, burglars mark houses with almost anything they can; it may be a small blob of paint or a piece of string tied around a lamppost.’
