Dressed in Afghan clothes and seated in the back, I covered my face with a scarf to prevent thieves from recognizing me as a foreigner.

Locksmiths came up with ingenious locks to prevent thieves from picking them.

Smokehouses were often secured to prevent animals and thieves from accessing the food.

Living with livestock in the combined building also allowed people to be able to prevent thieves from stealing their animals.

Often a wrought iron gate, strategically sited, say between house and garage, can prevent thieves walking openly to the rear.

Concealed zippers that are locked down and attached to clips to prevent thieves from accessing the bag.

The anti-siphon device prevents thieves from inserting a tube into the fuel tank.

A Chancellor of the Exchequer who had failed to prevent thieves penetrating his treasury was summarily beaten to death.

And 18 states now permit citizens to freeze their credit lines, preventing would-be thieves from opening new accounts.

But those safeguards may not be sufficient to prevent thieves from using the drop-off middlemen.