Falls Church City Police are investigating a residential burglary which occurred Monday evening, Nov. 14, when the residents were home.

Between 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 15, unknown person(s) entered an unlocked sliding glass rear door of a home in the 1300 block of Robinson Place. The house was occupied at the time and the residents did not hear or see anything because they were asleep. The only item taken in this burglary was a laptop computer. The computer was immediately exploited for banking information and that information was used to attempt to purchase expensive goods at a large department store in the metropolitan area.

Falls Church Police note this incident is not typical because the suspects were sophisticated enough to duplicate bank cards without the original cards in possession in an attempt to make large purchases immediately without the owner’s knowledge.

Police remind everyone to take safety precautions every day: lock all doors and windows and secure valuables out of the line of sight in homes and vehicles.

For residential security ideas, Falls Church City residents may contact the Police Department to set an appointment with a certified crime prevention specialist for a free home security survey. Interested City residents should contact Officer James Brooks at JBrooks@fallschurchva.gov or 703-241-5056.