A crime reporter has gone viral on TikTok for her tips on how to stay safe if a burglar tries to break into your home while you’re home alone.
Lori Fullbright, who reports for News at 6 Tulsa, told her followers that the next time someone knocks, “don’t shut up, make a noise.”
She added that you should make it look like there are several people in the house.
The veteran reporter – with 31 years of experience – explained that the vast majority of burglars want to hit an empty house.
Her TikTok videocaptioned “Why You Shouldn’t Shut Up and Pretend You’re Not Home When Someone Knocks” has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
Lori Fullbright, a crime reporter for News on 6 Tulsa, has gone viral on TikTok for her tips on how to stay safe if a burglar tries to break into your house while you’re home alone
Fullbright told her followers that the next time someone knocks, “don’t shut up, make noise.” She added that you should make it look like there are several people in the house
“Next time someone knocks, don’t shut up,” Fullbright advised in her TikTok video posted March 30.
‘Making noise. Go talk through the door, ‘Can I help you’, ‘I’m not interested’, ‘Go on,’ they now know someone is inside.’
The reporter said it was her 31 years of experience interviewing hundreds of criminals that led her to offer the advice in the two-minute clip.
Fullbright shared a technique that burglars like to use called “a knock and a kick,” which literally knocks on the door and kicks it in.
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She said the majority of these burglars tell her they want to break in Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
‘Why? They want an empty house, but they’re not sure you’re gone. So what do they do? They’re right. They listen. No footsteps, no voices, no TV, no radio. So guess what? The house is empty and boom, they’re going for it,” she explained.
But when they hear people are home, more often than not they move on to an empty house.
“The vast majority of them tell me they want to hit an empty house. They want to kick in your door when you’re gone, grab all your stuff and leave. And it’s terrible.
When you get home and all your stuff is gone, people say, “Oh, it’s a property crime.” It’s not. It’s very personal, but it’s much worse when you kick that door in and pretend you’re not there. Now you’re face to face with the criminal.’
Days after the viral video, Fullbright posted another in response to some viewers wondering what to do if they are among the small percentage who come face to face with a burglar
Fullbright said she’s seen many cases where keeping quiet during a home invasion doesn’t end well.
“Someone hears someone knocking and you’re like, ‘Oh, they’ll just go away if I get quiet and hide’ and bad things happen,” she said.
“And I see this a lot in kids. So I would definitely encourage you to teach your kids that if someone knocks, don’t shut up, pretend they’re not there, make a ruckus, because again, the vast majority of burglars don’t get in if they know that someone is home. ‘
Days after the viral video, Fullbright posted anotherA response to some viewers wondering what to do if they are among the small percentage that come face to face with a burglar.
“The most important thing you can do is have a plan in advance,” she said, comparing it to other plans families may have for house fires and natural disasters.