SAN ANTONIO – While many Americans get ready to take their summer vacations, security experts warn that vacationers are a prime target for thieves, who are on the prowl for unattended homes.
"Most vacations are taken within the months of July and August, so you want to make sure you prepare your home while you're away," said Melissa Walker with Protect America.
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According to AAA, 66 percent of Americans took a summer trip last year, with even more expected to travel in 2014.
With so many people vacationing, Walker said, there are fewer watchful eyes in the neighborhood, and more homes left unattended.
"A burglar will case through a neighborhood, and if it looks like no one's home, he'll approach the door, he'll knock on the door, and if no one's home, he can just kick the door in," Walker said.
Tamara Tijerina, who took a four-day vacation in 2013 with her family, said she knows firsthand, how devastating a break-in can be, while away on vacation. Tijerina said thieves took everything of value of her home, and vandalized whatever remained, including cutting up leather sofas, and spray-painting the walls.
"I had no idea that that could even happen to us," Tijerina said. "This is not a bad neighborhood. It's an older neighborhood, but it's not a bad neighborhood. Never would I have thought I would come home to a completely ruined home."
Before leaving for vacation, experts suggest you do not share your vacation plans on social media, ask a trusted neighbor to check on your home while you're away, do a final walk-through to make sure all your windows and doors are locked, and invest in a home security system, if you don't already have one.