How Secure Is Your Apartment

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cheese_breath
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How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

So after winter ends and the weather improves we're hoping to finally move DW to a nursing home in Texas to be near her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren. The plan is to sell the house, and I'll take an apartment near the new nursing home. I've never lived in an apartment before, so I'm wondering how secure the financial information in one's apartment is. My MIL lived in an apartment the last 25 years of her life, and when we cleaned it our we never found several items we expected to be there. I know there were times when she returned home after an outing and discovered maintenance people in there doing one task or another. In her later years she used various cleaning people who had the run of the place while she sat in the living room watching TV, so I can't categorically state it was the maintenance people who took her stuff. But I can't say it wasn't either.

So for your apartment dwellers, how comfortable are you trusting apartment personnel who have access to your apartment not to invade your personal files, both electronic and hard copy, when you're not there? Have you taken any extra security measures to protect them? I'm not so concerned if they steal my stuff. That can be replaced. But it they steal my identity.....
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Sandtrap
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Sandtrap »

cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm So after winter ends and the weather improves we're hoping to finally move DW to a nursing home in Texas to be near her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren. The plan is to sell the house, and I'll take an apartment near the new nursing home. I've never lived in an apartment before, so I'm wondering how secure the financial information in one's apartment is. My MIL lived in an apartment the last 25 years of her life, and when we cleaned it our we never found several items we expected to be there. I know there were times when she returned home after an outing and discovered maintenance people in there doing one task or another. In her later years she used various cleaning people who had the run of the place while she sat in the living room watching TV, so I can't categorically state it was the maintenance people who took her stuff. But I can't say it wasn't either.

So for your apartment dwellers, how comfortable are you trusting apartment personnel who have access to your apartment not to invade your personal files, both electronic and hard copy, when you're not there? Have you taken any extra security measures to protect them? I'm not so concerned if they steal my stuff. That can be replaced. But it they steal my identity.....
DW and I lived in apartments for many many years. I bought 2 of the types of safes. They were bulky and heavy enough to be awkward to steal yet not so heavy that I would have a hard time moving them around myself with a hand truck.
I used long screws to put them into the floor then patched it when I moved out.
https://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-Water ... words=safe
Generally it depends on the quality and reputation of the apartment building, if they have their own security staff and maintenance crews. How upscale the residences are and if it is a gated community.
Tips:
Never live below someone if the integrity of the structure is such that you will hear someone's booming TV on the floor or super sub bass woofer on a teenager's game system.
Live in the end units of a building for privacy, less traffic going by your door. Also, only one side of your unit is against another resident.
Live in a unit opposite a freeway or distant large road. Quieter.
Over 55 residences can be nice.
Good luck.
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littlebird
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by littlebird »

As you look around at different apartment situations, ask what the policy is toward maintenance. I don't know about Texas, but in N.Y., where I lived in several apartment -type settings, landlords -- and by extension, their employees and contractors -- are only allowed to enter your apartment without specific permission in emergencies. You should be able to find a situation where you feel comfortable that all other maintenance will be done by arrangement. And of course, normal precautions with both physical and digital valuables are advisable.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by 123 »

A lot depends on whether you "fit" the apartment building you're in. If you drive a car (or wear a wardrobe) significantly better then others in the complex someone might think you're a good target if they have to pick one. Mail in apartments seems to have a higher likelihood of getting misdirected and put in the wrong mail slot, maybe you might want a PO Box for any financial mail you expect, that envelope with a Goldman Sachs return address might send an unexpected message about you to someone if they come accros it.
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Pajamas
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Pajamas »

cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm My MIL lived in an apartment the last 25 years of her life, and when we cleaned it our we never found several items we expected to be there. I know there were times when she returned home after an outing and discovered maintenance people in there doing one task or another. In her later years she used various cleaning people who had the run of the place while she sat in the living room watching TV, so I can't categorically state it was the maintenance people who took her stuff. But I can't say it wasn't either.
You seem to be assuming that because you didn't find something that you expected to that someone stole it. In reality, you don't know if anyone actually took anything or if she never received something or threw stuff it away or someone else threw it away. She might have also given it to her accountant or tax preparer.

I have never had anyone enter my apartment unless I were at home or I gave them permission to do so. If anyone has to enter in an emergency then they are supposed to be accompanied by a manager. I trust the people who work in the building but if I were worried I would get a file cabinet that locks securely or a safe or lockbox as suggested above for physical papers and make sure that any hard drives were also secured by passwords or locked away. That would really be more for protection against burglars in my mind.

It is not necessary for someone to steal papers from your home to commit identity theft, although people do have their identity stolen by people they know. It is even common for family members to do it.
DrGoogle2017
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by DrGoogle2017 »

I never had any problem but the only problem I had with apartment in general is the light outside of my bedroom window. Not total darkness like I would have liked. And people coming and out at different time, noise in the parking area. But I’ve always lived in a very safe area, maybe that’s why.
Church Lady
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Church Lady »

Your lease probably has weasel words to the effect apartment personnel reserve the right to enter your apartment at any time. I would often come home at night to a notice on my door. "Maintenance personnel will be entering your apartment tomorrow for the purpose of ..." and the reason something like 'maintenance inspection', 'change filters', 'escort exterminators', etc.

Once I was home sick or something, and the maintenance man waltzed through the door unannounced. He said he was too sick the week prior to make his announced apartment entry, so he was doing it that day. So you have to assume someone could enter your apartment on any random day. What will they see when they come into your apartment?

I had a locking file cabinet to keep stuff I didn't want anyone looking at. True, you can break those locks with a screw driver,but that would tip you off and you'd make a complaint to the management. Or that's what I told myself. :happy I never had anyone break into the cabinet. I wouldn't leave cash, jewelry, or other portable wealth lying around. You can get a firesafe lock box for things of that nature.

If you suspect someone can look into your apartment through the peephole, cover it with a sticky note. Make sure your windows and doors have locks. Keep your balcony door locked as if it were your front door.

And don't 'hide' stuff in your underwear drawer :!: That's the first place burglars look
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Angelus359
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Angelus359 »

I have a condo, which I suppose is apartment like.

Nobody has access to my door keys outside of myself and my wife.
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annielouise
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by annielouise »

Your budget should include:

Monitored security system.
Security cameras/doorbell.
Fire safe(s).

Theft (by burglary, not maintenance people) and fire are the biggest risks in apartments.

If no garage, always lock your car. Nextdoor is full of " my unlocked car was broken into". Duh!
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Alexa9
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Alexa9 »

Renter's insurance is a good investment. If there's someone above you there is a small chance you can be flooded too particularly if it's elderly people.
mouses
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by mouses »

One thing I disliked about living in an apartment is that the building personnel felt they had the right to enter the apartment at any time.

I once came out of the bathroom after a shower, wearing a towel, to find the supervisor in the living room. He said he'd knocked and there was no answer, very possibly true as I wouldn't have heard him over the water noise, but still. A lease says advance notice has to be given except in case of emergency, good luck with that being observed.

I would not voluntarily live in a place where non-family had access. Perhaps instead a condo where no one else has the keys except family members (and change the locks when you move in.)

You can arrange to be home on cleaning person days so that they do not need a key.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by mouses »

DrGoogle2017 wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:10 pm I never had any problem but the only problem I had with apartment in general is the light outside of my bedroom window. Not total darkness like I would have liked. And people coming and out at different time, noise in the parking area. But I’ve always lived in a very safe area, maybe that’s why.
Don't get an apartment near the rubbish chute. People throw stuff into that at all hours. Ditto not near maintenance equipment storage.
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midareff
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by midareff »

Sorry to hear the news.... hope all goes well with your move.

I've lived in apartments, townhouses and condos the last 30-35 years. Broken into once long ago when I was in a rental apartment for a typical whatever is lying around and TV grab. Currently in a condo in a gated community, with on site building manager and asst. manager, security/concierge, hall and elevator cameras, fire alarm systems and I had a safe installed when I moved in for documents, some cash, jewelry, etc. We travel lots and really have no concerns about security. I notify the building manager when we will be gone and how to contact if needed in addition to an in town backup. Bug control folks and such are only allowed in along with a maintenance guy, there are two on premise. Along with that I hire someone to take up the mail and water the plants while we are gone weekly to keep an eye on things. Know all the concierges, security staff, house keeping staff, and so forth. I feel it is very secure.
AntsOnTheMarch
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by AntsOnTheMarch »

Workers coming into your apartment while you’re there is the same as in a home. Would/Do you watch them as they work or just go about your business?

In a rental, if the super has keys, I’d base my answer more on the sort of person the super is than anything else. In any case, there’s no harm in hiding important papers from prying eyes and not having much in the way of valuables. If you’re very concerned, safety deposit box at bank or take your chances with a home safe.

Here’s something to think over (I haven’t because I’m not very concerned about security). If I were a worker, super or anyone entering someone’s home these days, I’d very careful if I had intentions on their stuff because of the possibility of hidden cams. Would I want to lose my job trying to lift stuff that is probably of little or no value? A simple cost benefit analysis would tell me, no. You can use this to your advantage by having cams or fake cams around the apartment. This probably wouldn’t affect a straight up burglary situation though.

My experience with human nature is that people are generally honest, mind their own business, and that to protect myself, situational awareness and common sense rule the day. I felt safe in my single family home but I feel even safer in my apartment condo as I’ve watched the way things operate over the years—even with all sorts of health care aides, delivery people, workers, and guests marching though the building.

Ymmv.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by AlohaJoe »

mouses wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:29 am I once came out of the bathroom after a shower, wearing a towel, to find the supervisor in the living room. He said he'd knocked and there was no answer, very possibly true as I wouldn't have heard him over the water noise, but still. A lease says advance notice has to be given except in case of emergency, good luck with that being observed.
Do people in America not file claims over this?

In Australia when a landlord breaks the law we take them to the Fair Trading council all the time. Virtually all of my friends have done it with landlords that have broken the law. They always win.

Why do Americans let other people walk over their legal rights?
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

If you're worried about theft, mimic what a bullion dealer does that I've done business with. He has a cheap, small safe, easily seen, in place and just screwed into the sheet rock. The thief uses a crowbar and easily removes the safe and runs away with it. Inside, he'd leave some rolls of pennies and a few silver quarters.

His "real" safe was well hidden and bolted into concrete of very high resistance. That's where valuables were kept.

At his store, he went into his store safe which was similar. It was "hidden" simply by being under a table with a table cloth draped down so the safe isn't visible to customers. He told me that the cost of insurance dramatically went down simply by draping the safe, and hiding it from easy viewing.

I like his bait and hide method at the home. Give thieves enough to keep them busy and get them to go away with something of little value so they don't search for the thing of real value.
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Sandtrap
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Sandtrap »

Also, be sure that you must be present when any repairs or required (non emergency) access to your unit is needed. Schedule accordingly.
The resident manager or such will have your house keys in case of emergency. But you can restrict access otherwise.
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cheese_breath
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

Unfortunately my old 'keep everything because you never know what you might need years later' habits are catching up with me. Houses with big basements provided the luxury of more storage space that I ever needed, and I have boxes of records going back many, many years. Much more than I could fit into even much bigger safes, and spending nearly all my time with DW at the nursing center doesn't leave any to sort through them now. Any comments on the security of indoor self storage units?
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mouses
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by mouses »

AntsOnTheMarch wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:47 am
Here’s something to think over (I haven’t because I’m not very concerned about security). If I were a worker, super or anyone entering someone’s home these days, I’d very careful if I had intentions on their stuff because of the possibility of hidden cams. Would I want to lose my job trying to lift stuff that is probably of little or no value? A simple cost benefit analysis would tell me, no. You can use this to your advantage by having cams or fake cams around the apartment. This probably wouldn’t affect a straight up burglary situation though.
You're assuming the average crook is a wizard. Have you not read the news articles about their getting stuck in chimneys, etc. :-)
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by lthenderson »

cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm So for your apartment dwellers, how comfortable are you trusting apartment personnel who have access to your apartment not to invade your personal files, both electronic and hard copy, when you're not there? Have you taken any extra security measures to protect them? I'm not so concerned if they steal my stuff. That can be replaced. But it they steal my identity.....
I've lived in a variety of apartments, some of them with hindsight were probably considered seedy. I've never had a problem with theft. Saying that, my first worry about living in apartments isn't theft but fire. Your apartment is only as safe from fire as the most careless person living in the complex. Not very reassuring. I would make sure all my important records were backed up off site or at a bare minimum in a fireproof safe.
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cheese_breath
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

cheese_breath wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:20 am ... Any comments on the security of indoor self storage units?
To expand on my own question. The U-Haul near us has a pretty nice setup with indoor self storage. The smaller units I'd want are on the second floor. I think I'd feel safe with that.

Any comments on the U-Haul units? There's one near my Texas destination, and the Internet pictures of their indoor storage look a lot like the one near me now.
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Phineas J. Whoopee
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Phineas J. Whoopee »

I've lived in apartments ever since I graduated from college, and alas I am no spring chicken. The one and only apartment where anyone came in without permission was a condo I rented from its owner.

Presently I own my apartment. It's usual here for people to supply their own deadbolt lock, in addition to everything the building originally provided, even in rentals. I opted not to give a key to the building super, but maybe as a renter I'd have to.

I'm pretty sure the easiest way for a crook to break in would be to gain access to the fire escape and enter through a (fairly secure although it could be better) window, but that would risk my noticing because it's in the bedroom. Even if asleep, I probably would hear it and wake up.

In terms of secure storage of that which needs to survive theft, or the building burning down, I use a safe deposit box. I count its rent as a housing cost.

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gretah
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by gretah »

OP - you are right in thinking apt thieves look for info regarding ID theft, not just expensive jewelry, etc.

So only do business with banks and financial houses who do not list your account number on statements. When this is unavoidable, cut out (with scissors, not black out) account numbers before filing. Shred cut outs and put with icky garbage.

Also watch out for papers with your social security number, such as Medicare statements. Cut out those numbers as well.

Even if you have a file cabinet with a lock.

One idea I am considering: blacking out all ID numbers on docs, then scanning, storing in cloud and on a flash drive, and shredding original docs. Flash drive stays in safety deposit box.


I have changed the locks on the front door of some apartments I rented. Legal in those areas. It angered the landlords but they were invasive so I didn't care.


Reminder: thieves who are high on drugs, whatever, do not think sensibly. He doesn't think about anyone seeing him entering your apt via a very public balcony. He doesn't care his sister will lose her cleaning job at your place if he steals from you. He is only thinking about getting money for his next fix.


Over 55 complexes are more secure for several reasons.
*Lots of retirees are nosey and spend time looking out their windows. They report odd looking strangers.
*Kids are very noisy. Over 55 complexes are much quieter. Exception: people with hearing problems. Be certain to view the apartment during weekday dinner hours to learn about noise at complex. The sweet little old lady in the unit below you could turn on TV news at top volume at 5am every morning. (My friend has this exact problem. After months of recordings and complaints, management is finally buying bluetooth headphones for the tenant below her.)
*Over 55 complexes can be more difficult to access. Front doors on building are locked. Residents don't like to let strangers come in as they enter or exit.


As others have posted, get a PO box. Do not get a MailBox Etc box as workers can be ID thieves. I've experienced this.


Don't use wifi for banking and financial dealings - even if password protected, even if on VPN. Clark Howard recommends using a separate, dedicated computer for online banking, bill pay, and financial dealings (no shopping, internet anything, etc) on a ChromeBook that is hard-wired to internet connection. ChromeBook has cord directly into internet connection that is separate from wifi internet connection.

Like another poster mentioned, I use a bait and switch strategy for protecting valuables. I have a lovely jewelry box on a dresser with my low-cost jewelry. (Your low cost watch.) My real jewelry is hidden in two places: safety deposit box and not-in-bedroom place. I also place several fivers in my underwear drawer. I just want the thieves to grab and run.


A copy of my Will, PoA, etc, is in my apt. Location is very easy to find. Originals are in my safety deposit box.


Apartment insurance is very cheap - $20 a month or so. Photograph all apt contents, as many receipts as possible, bookkeeping data with purchase info, transfer to flash drive, put in safety deposit box.


One great thing I love since I moved into an apt: having an anonymous phone number.

Since having my ID hacked twice, (2nd time cost me several thousand to replace custom websites, etc) I've become more interested privacy protection. So last time I moved, I purchased a cell phone with cash and use only cash to buy minute cards. I LOVE the very low incidence of marketing calls! I gave the number to people who need it (friends, family, medical, insurance, favorite clients, etc) and programmed their numbers into my phone. I only answer calls from those numbers. LOVE this!


I love apt living. All repairs, maintenance, and gardening are done by others and included in rent price. I'm careful to choose quiet complexes and quiet units. I breathe down the necks of repair people as they work.
gostars
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by gostars »

I don't know about other states, but in Texas, exterior doors on apartments are required to have keyless deadbolts, except in 55+ communities. Since they can't be opened from the outside, it prevents awkward moments, as long as you remember to lock both locks.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Epsilon Delta »

gretah wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:02 pm One idea I am considering: blacking out all ID numbers on docs, then scanning, storing in cloud and on a flash drive, and shredding original docs. Flash drive stays in safety deposit box.
If you are going to black out before scanning it is best to scan in black and white or scan and then optical character recognize to remove all the actual image. Some scanners have a lot of shades of gray that appear black on a display and the obscured data can leak through, so somebody can read the scanned image into photoshop and tweak the contrast, etc. rather like like highlighting this Be sure to drink your ovaltine secret message.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by mouses »

Epsilon Delta wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2018 2:56 am
gretah wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:02 pm One idea I am considering: blacking out all ID numbers on docs, then scanning, storing in cloud and on a flash drive, and shredding original docs. Flash drive stays in safety deposit box.
If you are going to black out before scanning it is best to scan in black and white or scan and then optical character recognize to remove all the actual image. Some scanners have a lot of shades of gray that appear black on a display and the obscured data can leak through, so somebody can read the scanned image into photoshop and tweak the contrast, etc. rather like like highlighting this Be sure to drink your ovaltine secret message.
If you have a Windows system you can use Paint to clip out portions of the image after you've scanned it.
gretah
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by gretah »

Thanks for the tips about scanned docs!
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Epsilon Delta »

mouses wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2018 4:13 am If you have a Windows system you can use Paint to clip out portions of the image after you've scanned it.
Paint is (or was) a simple enough program and supports simple enough formats that that should be safe. You can't say that for many more complex programs and formats. There is often a lot of "meta data" that is not displayed but leaks data with a little work. For example some of them support undo across sessions, which makes accessing the deleted information easy. People who should know better have also redacted PDF files by adding a black layer over the top of text. The obscured text could be extracted by removing that layer.

Adequately paranoid people insist on using something they understand, and it's a lot easier to understand paper and an Xacto knife than the pdf file format.
azurekep
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by azurekep »

Epsilon Delta wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2018 2:56 am If you are going to black out before scanning it is best to scan in black and white or scan and then optical character recognize to remove all the actual image. Some scanners have a lot of shades of gray that appear black on a display and the obscured data can leak through, so somebody can read the scanned image into photoshop and tweak the contrast, etc. rather like like highlighting this Be sure to drink your ovaltine secret message.
This is quite different, but I was reminded of it anyway. It's a news story that points out how ignorant people are about electronic files, even when they fraudulently deal with tens of millions of dollars: as a matter of course.
So here’s the essence of what went wrong for Manafort and Gates, according to Mueller’s investigation: Manafort allegedly wanted to falsify his company’s income, but he couldn’t figure out how to edit the PDF. He therefore had Gates turn it into a Microsoft Word document for him, which led the two to bounce the documents back-and-forth over email. As attorney and blogger Susan Simpson notes on Twitter, Manafort’s inability to complete a basic task on his own seems to have effectively “created an incriminating paper trail.”
https://slate.com/technology/2018/02/pa ... ments.html
Learn from the crooks ... what NOT to do. ;)

BTW, I've lived in apartments in the past -- always in good areas -- and I trust no one. The quality of maintneance/repair people varies and while most may be honest, many seem to be careless. Like if they paint your outside door, they'll leave the door wide open to dry, then forget to close it. You come home from work and find that your door has been wide open for anyone to look in, or come in, all day. :shock:

And packages left in the lobby. .. People have no compunctions about stealing them, or even just opening them to see if anything is worth stealing.
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cheese_breath
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

gretah wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:02 pm ... Don't use wifi for banking and financial dealings - even if password protected, even if on VPN....
Are you referring to the apartment complex wifi or my own wifi with my own password protected router?
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Mudpuppy »

cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm My MIL lived in an apartment the last 25 years of her life, and when we cleaned it our we never found several items we expected to be there. I know there were times when she returned home after an outing and discovered maintenance people in there doing one task or another.
Many states require written notice at least a day or so in advance before entering an apartment for routine maintenance. They're only allowed to enter with less notice if there is an emergency that requires immediate attention such as a pipe leak . If your MIL found maintenance people in her apartment unannounced for non-emergency situations, that was likely a violation of state law and she could have filed a compliant.

And every apartment I've lived in has had chain locks or other secondary interior locks to prevent entry while you are actually at home. I've never had maintenance walk in on me. I have had them wake me up by pounding on the door at 7am when they thought a pipe had burst (turned out my neighbor was so drunk he didn't recall flooding his bathroom the night before). So the primary concern is maintenance entering the apartment while you are out and can't set those secondary locks.
cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm So for your apartment dwellers, how comfortable are you trusting apartment personnel who have access to your apartment not to invade your personal files, both electronic and hard copy, when you're not there? Have you taken any extra security measures to protect them? I'm not so concerned if they steal my stuff. That can be replaced. But it they steal my identity.....
Use a locked filing cabinet or safe for the important documents. Get a PO Box for the important mail (as others have said, getting my neighbor's mail was a common issue). Always lock your computer so it requires a password to access. Make sure your external drives are encrypted. Make sure the passwords used are strong passwords. Consider a motion-triggered security camera that uploads to an off-site server or cloud storage.

And one thing few people think about: ask the manager if the locks were rekeyed after the previous tenant left. If they weren't, then any key copies those previous tenants have could be used to access the door. Apartment door locks are also usually pretty low quality that can be bumped or picked. Some states will allow you to pay a locksmith to rekey the door to a higher quality lock as long as you give a copy of the key to the manager.

Honestly though, the worst issue I had with maintenance was the guy who hated cats and tried to say my cats were ruining the apartment when they were not. The local manager didn't like to climb stairs and I lived in an upstairs unit, so she never looked into it personally. She just took the maintenance guy at his word, despite having testimonials from my previous two landlords about how well-mannered the cats were. I actually had to "pull rank" on the local manager by calling her boss (who was willing to climb stairs) to get that one sorted out.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Mudpuppy »

lthenderson wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:59 pm
cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm So for your apartment dwellers, how comfortable are you trusting apartment personnel who have access to your apartment not to invade your personal files, both electronic and hard copy, when you're not there? Have you taken any extra security measures to protect them? I'm not so concerned if they steal my stuff. That can be replaced. But it they steal my identity.....
I've lived in a variety of apartments, some of them with hindsight were probably considered seedy. I've never had a problem with theft. Saying that, my first worry about living in apartments isn't theft but fire. Your apartment is only as safe from fire as the most careless person living in the complex. Not very reassuring. I would make sure all my important records were backed up off site or at a bare minimum in a fireproof safe.
I'd add pests to the fire concerns. I've had the misfortune of living next to hoarders. I had a constant stream of ants coming from the shared wall, as well as a few other pests from time to time. The building would have also been toast during a fire due to all the combustibles in their unit. But the pests were a much bigger day-to-day annoyance.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Invisi8 »

https://goo.gl/images/bn35Kd

We installed one of these types of locks.
Its something we can and do use while we're inside our apartment to prevent walk ins by landlord and people unanounced. Fact is, you dont know who or how many people have copies of keys if you didnt change the locks yourself.

Obviously not a big help when we're not there, because needs to be locked from inside, but good peace of mind for when we are home. We know it doesn't do a whole lot for security, but its another step in addition to some other things folks above have mentioned, and inexpensive! If nothing else, it'll give us a heads up that the door is being attempted open, because its loud as it bangs to lock the door when the door opens and the lock is engaged.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by denovo »

Angelus359 wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:57 am I have a condo, which I suppose is apartment like.

Nobody has access to my door keys outside of myself and my wife.
Not saying this is a bad idea , but you should know the risks. If there is an emergency situation and your on-site building manager (if you have one) doesn't have the keys, the fire department will just break your door open and you will be on the hook for replacement.
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cheese_breath
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

denovo wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:52 am
Angelus359 wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:57 am I have a condo, which I suppose is apartment like.

Nobody has access to my door keys outside of myself and my wife.
Not saying this is a bad idea , but you should know the risks. If there is an emergency situation and your on-site building manager (if you have one) doesn't have the keys, the fire department will just break your door open and you will be on the hook for replacement.
Condo might be a consideration somewhere down the road, but until I'm confident she'll be staying at the same nursing home for awhile I'm thinking apartment.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

On the subject of safes, I think I'd prefer one big heavy one than multiple smaller ones. Any thoughts whether apartments would object to something around 300 pounds?

Also, how much heat builds up inside safes? Would it get hot or humid enough to damage electronic devices stored inside?
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Carl53 »

cheese_breath wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:14 am On the subject of safes, I think I'd prefer one big heavy one than multiple smaller ones. Any thoughts whether apartments would object to something around 300 pounds?

Also, how much heat builds up inside safes? Would it get hot or humid enough to damage electronic devices stored inside?
Unless you are running something electrical in one I would not expect it to heat up. I’ve done that and the processor slowed down somewhat when it warmed up. I doubt if the humidity level would deviate much from ambient.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Mudpuppy »

cheese_breath wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:14 am On the subject of safes, I think I'd prefer one big heavy one than multiple smaller ones. Any thoughts whether apartments would object to something around 300 pounds?
If the apartment floor couldn't handle 300 pounds, there would be a whole lot of couches falling through the floor. Your average couch can hold 3-4 adults and supports all that weight on 4 legs. Now the better question should be: do you want to lug around a 300 pound safe if you move (including how much it would cost to pay someone to move it for you)?
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by cheese_breath »

Pajamas wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:49 pm
cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm My MIL lived in an apartment the last 25 years of her life, and when we cleaned it our we never found several items we expected to be there. I know there were times when she returned home after an outing and discovered maintenance people in there doing one task or another. In her later years she used various cleaning people who had the run of the place while she sat in the living room watching TV, so I can't categorically state it was the maintenance people who took her stuff. But I can't say it wasn't either.
You seem to be assuming that because you didn't find something that you expected to that someone stole it. In reality, you don't know if anyone actually took anything or if she never received something or threw stuff it away or someone else threw it away. She might have also given it to her accountant or tax preparer. ...
In this case it was mostly jewelry.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by miamivice »

As a generalization, folks that are hired by a firm to do work won't steal/snoop/etc while on the job, and since they are employed, are unlikely to do it while off the job.
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Pajamas
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Pajamas »

cheese_breath wrote: Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:34 am
Pajamas wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:49 pm
cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:45 pm My MIL lived in an apartment the last 25 years of her life, and when we cleaned it our we never found several items we expected to be there. I know there were times when she returned home after an outing and discovered maintenance people in there doing one task or another. In her later years she used various cleaning people who had the run of the place while she sat in the living room watching TV, so I can't categorically state it was the maintenance people who took her stuff. But I can't say it wasn't either.
You seem to be assuming that because you didn't find something that you expected to that someone stole it. In reality, you don't know if anyone actually took anything or if she never received something or threw stuff it away or someone else threw it away. She might have also given it to her accountant or tax preparer. ...
In this case it was mostly jewelry.
Jewelry could have been stolen or she could have given it away or she could have hidden it so well that you never found it. The latter may seem unlikely but it's not impossible.

You might also check at banks she used to see if perhaps she had a safe deposit box that you weren't aware of. If you have not checked with the state comptroller's office's lost property website to see if they are holding anything in her name, you might want to do that, too.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Watty »

There may be online reviews of apartments that will mention if there have been problems with the staff entering apartment inappropriately.

When my Mom was older she had various housekeepers and aids coming into her hold. At one point she was sure that one of them had taken a gold necklace. About five years later when she was still alive one of my brothers found it in the back of a filing cabinet there she had apparently put it for safekeeping and forgotten about it. My wife is an avid "junker" and she will occasionally find things that were hidden in something else then donated to thrift store.

One thing to consider about the things that were missing from you MIL apartment is it makes sense that they would be stolen but other stuff would be left.

I have my credit freezes and my financial accounts are secured with two factor authentication so while it might be creepy if someone saw that paperwork it would be of limited value.

Virtually all of my "sensitive" paperwork is stuff I got through the mail so there was probably a lot more risk of it having been stolen out of the mail than a locked filing cabinet.
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Re: How Secure Is Your Apartment

Post by Mudpuppy »

Pajamas wrote: Mon Feb 26, 2018 11:37 am
cheese_breath wrote: Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:34 am In this case it was mostly jewelry.
Jewelry could have been stolen or she could have given it away or she could have hidden it so well that you never found it. The latter may seem unlikely but it's not impossible.

You might also check at banks she used to see if perhaps she had a safe deposit box that you weren't aware of. If you have not checked with the state comptroller's office's lost property website to see if they are holding anything in her name, you might want to do that, too.
Or just forgot where she placed the jewelry. We found things in all sorts of strange places when clearing out my great-grandparents house, including jewelry that my great-grandmother had said she'd lost. All it takes is rolling behind the nightstand to never be seen again until the nightstand is moved.
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