In a previous article, we told you about a gang of burglars in California that invaded Paris Hilton’s house multiple times and took over $3 million in goods from her and other Hollywood celebrities. In this series of articles, we’ll tell the story of the Bling Ring Burglars and see how their victims, by taking just a few common sense steps, could have frustrated the gang’s criminal ambitions and sent them looking for other ways to get the cash and goods that they so badly desired.
The Beginnings of the Bling Ring
In its early stages, the gang consisted of two teenage friends, Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo. Both were alternative school students who had been expelled from their local high school in Calabasas, a wealthy suburb in southern California. They had troubled family lives, were prone to mischief, and were obsessed with celebrities and fashion.
Though they lived in the well-to-do Hollywood Hills, they didn’t have enough money of their own to spend on fashion products and designer goods, so they looked for other ways to acquire the things they wanted. Unfortunately, many of the people in their community gave them plenty of opportunities to do just that.
The Bling Ring Burglars Take Advantage of Lax Crime Prevention Steps to Score Easy Money
As we’ve stated before, the criminals who take months to plan out elaborate heists are the exceptions to the rule. By and large, the vast majority of thieves want quick, easy money that they can get with minimal risk and effort. The Bling Ringers were no different.
They were able to finance an elaborate wardrobe, lifestyle, and thousands of dollars in purchases by simply walking the affluent southern California neighborhoods late at night and looking for unlocked cars. Not surprisingly, the people who neglected to lock their luxury cars at night were also prone to leaving valuables in them – namely, cash and credit cards.
With their new-found money in hand, the kids would go shopping the next day before the owners noticed anything was missing. Even in the finest boutiques on Melrose Avenue and Rodeo Drive, nobody questioned them when they used the stolen credit cards.
Takeaway Points to Consider
1 ) Make Yourself a Difficult Target
If you’ve read this blog before, you know that our Golden Rule of Crime Prevention is, “Make yourself a difficult target.” The one thing that prevented wealthy neighbors of Rachel Lee from becoming victims was the simple act of locking their car doors.
2) Change Your Stereotype of Criminals
Most of us have ideas of criminals as big, menacing ogre-like characters or swarthy guys with foreign accents. While some criminals certainly fit this mold, many of them don’t. Criminals come in all shapes and sizes.
When actress Audrina Partridge saw footage of the bandits on her security camera, she said, “I watched the surveillance videos expecting it to be these big scary guys, and instead it was these two kids.” The answer isn’t to be suspicious of everyone you meet, but, instead, to do the little common sense things that can keep you and your belongings protected and safe.
At about the same time that Lee and Prugo were “checking cars” on a nightly basis, they were presented with the opportunity to burglarize a home. In the next article, we’ll see how they chose their first target and what one item could have turned their venture from boom to bust. (Well, what one item besides an activated, functioning home security alarm, that is!)
