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Since the beginning of the crisis to date, crime in Greece has been growing intensively. Fearing that they may lose their money, in case the country leaves the eurozone, a lot of Greeks withdrew their deposits and recklessly decided that their homes are fortresses, where their money is safe.

Naturally, this has led to a surge in thefts and burglaries, especially after the banks have equipped their branches with systems for controlled entry and exit in the past few years, and drawing out entire ATMs requires special equipment and serious preparation.

According to the local television, TV100 in Thessaloniki, robbers in Greece conduct their raids after careful preparation. They monitor their potential victims and investigate their financial and marital status, working hours and habits. When ready, they mark the home they are preparing to rob with special signs, which, according to a report of Thessaloniki journalists, are international.

It comes to signs on mailboxes, intercoms or other places around the entrances of blocks. So if you see an X sign on the entrance of your home, this means that soon you may have an unpleasant, probably midnight visit. The same can happen if the sign is in the form of a circle, a cross, and even a diamond.

Here is the meaning of the rest of the burglars' signs.

A jagged line warns that there is a dog in the house.

A rectangle with a circle on it means that the home has already been visited by robbers.

The rhombus is a sign that the house is uninhabited or that currently there are no tenants there.

An upright or an inverted triangle notifies burglars that the house is inhabited by a woman alone.

This makes it clear that the house can be accessed from the rooms.

This sign warns robbers that the risk of being caught is very high.

A sign resembling an inclined ladder informs them that the house is watched by the police.

And a sloping rectangle indicates the home of an official.

A circle, cut by an X, denotes a house where there is nothing interesting to steal.

The next sign means that a family lives in the home.

Five coin-like circles are a hint to burglars that they can find money in this home.

Two circles of different sizes placed in a rectangle warn housebreakers to beware of neighbours.

A hatchet-like object means that there are no obstacles for the robbery.

A semicircle with a small square in it is a sign that there is nothing worth stealing in the specific dwelling.

A fish-shaped sign warns that "the object" is protected by alarms.

Three sloping lines are intended to inform that the home has already been robbed.

"There is nothing to be taken from here", informs the next sign.

Two rectangles into one another mean that the probability the potential burglars to be caught is very high.

Apart from the plus sign, the minus sign is also one of the most common marks on the bells of unsuspecting future victims. It aims to inform the "colleagues" that the dwelling in question has been recently robbed and there is nothing to be taken from it.

According to latest data from the Greek police, housebreaking has increased by 10 percent over the past year.