FBI Newark warns of rise in home burglaries of Asian American business owners

WASHINGTON - MARCH 09: The seal of the F.B.I. hangs in the Flag Room at the bureau's headquaters March 9, 2007 in Washington, DC. F.B.I. Director Robert Mueller was responding to a report by the Justice Department inspector general that concluded the FBI had committed 22 violations in its collection of information through the use of national security letters. The letters, which the audit numbered at 47,000 in 2005, allow the agency to collect information like telephone, banking and e-mail records without a judicially approved subpoena.
Photo credit Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The FBI's Newark field office has observed a rise in home burglaries of Asian American business owners by crooks "casing" the businesses, the office said Thursday.

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"Burglary rings are casing Asian-owned businesses to learn the life patterns of the owners," the FBI said in a press release, explaining how the robberies take place.

"The burglars will sometimes enter the business owner’s car while the victim is working in order to learn where they live," the FBI explained. "Other times, the burglars will follow a business owner home. While the victim is at work running the business, the burglars return to the victim’s home, break in, and steal cash and valuables. The victims are targeted, in part, due to the stereotype that Asian business owners have items of high value in their homes."

The FBI has provided a series of "preventative measure" for Asian American business owners:

- Keep your car locked while at work and secure your registration
- Be cognizant of any cars in the neighborhood that aren’t normally there
- Be aware of anyone who might be following you home
- Give thought to how you secure valuables in your house
- Motion sensor lighting on the front and back of a home will help deter break-ins
- Install surveillance cameras on or around the home and business
- Consider having a home or business alarm system installed
- Most importantly, if you are victimized, immediately report it to your local police department.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images