Do criminals leave markings or symbols outside properties? Fact Check

Claims online purport that strange or unexplained markings outside of a house or property are left there by criminals and denote what is in the house that is worth stealing.

Variants of such messages also claim that dog thieves use similar tactics to identify specific types of dog breed.

UNPROVEN

Chain messages and unverified media stories about supposed symbols allegedly being used by criminals to mark potential properties ripe for breaking into have been passed around the Internet for well over a decade.

In 2009, the media in the UK dubbed many such unexplained markings at the “Da Pinchi Code”, along with claims about what each symbol supposedly meant. In 2013, the same stories began to recirculate with only minor adjustments.

However in all the cases we examined, the pertinent fact that no such code was ever verified to actually exist in the way described was always overlooked or reduced to minor disclaimers at the end of an article. In no such cases did authorities confirm that criminals were actually marking properties in this way, and all media stories and social media “pass it on” warnings only reported on the existence of such markings, and speculatively concluded that they could be used as markings for burglars.

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Of course, mere panicked speculation does not a fact make, and in subsequent years the alarming online conspiracy theories began to unravel. In 2016, residents had been worried by symbols cast from flour appearing near properties in Kidlington, UK. Yet those symbols turned out to be directional symbols used by a local jogging group.

And in that same year, UK police in South Worcestershire revealed that many of the markings from the original “Da Pinchi Code” were actually left by utility companies to mark the areas of proposed work.

Jogging groups and utility companies provide only a few of the possible and entirely innocent reasons as to why unexplained marks may be found on the pavement or walls around a property. And for those markings still lacking an obvious explanation, a “secret code” designed for crooks would still be pretty low on a list of likely factors.

It just doesn’t make any sense. Firstly, there is little motivation for criminals to warn fellow criminals about the viability of other properties. While many criminals work alone, others work in gangs that are closely knit, and as such, sharing information would likely be done by other more traditional means.

But perhaps more tellingly, trying to convey information through markings outside a property is just too risky and too unreliable. Such methods are prone to any number of drawbacks. The property owner could see the marking and simply remove it, or the marking could be removed by third parties or even by certain weather conditions. Additionally, the markings require time and effort on behalf of the criminal and would put the criminal at unnecessary risk of being caught by the property owner or neighbours. Also, publicly displaying the markings would put them at risk of being deciphered by would-be victims, which then increases the chances of criminals being unwittingly lured into a trap.

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Yet another drawback would be that such a system relies on other criminals perusing neighbourhoods and spotting the symbols. Of course, criminals could let their fellow criminals know what properties are marked with their symbols, but then the pertinent question is why not relay the information the symbol is intended to convey at the same time, rendering the symbol entirely redundant?

But perhaps most obviously is that there is just little point. There are so many more effective ways of recording potential properties and their associated risks and rewards, simply by writing it down. With modern technology, there is a variety of more effective and reliable ways of sharing that information should a criminal want to.

This type of lore has inspired many spin-offs, all exploiting our distrust of unexplained symbols and markings, and our clear propensity to associate such markings with the nefarious. In 2013, colored ribbons appeared in the suburbs of Australia, and shortly after that social media messages baselessly asserted they were markings for dog thieves. Messages that were soon dismissed by authorities.

And in 2012, gun owners became convinced via online messaging boards that gun thieves were targeting their weapons by placing small markings on their license plates while they attended gun shops or shows. Those markings turned out to be put there by manufacturers and servicing outlets.

While there are plenty of stories and anecdotes out their purporting the existence of such markings, no such code has ever been confirmed to exist by any reputable source, and as such we rank this claim unproven.