By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMINGTON – December was the top month for theft claims handled by State Farm in 2015. January wasn’t far behind in 2nd.

State Farm Spokeswoman Missy Dundov explained this time of year tends to bring more thefts as people are getting new, sometimes expensive items, during the holidays. She said common sense can go a long way in preventing theft.

“Don’t leave things out in plain view that someone could look in a window and see,” said Dundov. “If you get, let’s say, a really big ticket item and you have a box don’t put it out on the curb multiple days before your trash day.”

Dundov added talking to your neighbors if you’re going to be out of town can also help.

“It’s really important that you work as a community in your neighborhood because you don’t want your house broken into; you’re neighbors don’t want your house broken into cause they could be next,” she said.

State Farm received 5,517 theft claims in Illinois during December last year, which ranked 4th in the nation. But Dundov said the number of theft claims in the nation has gone down each year since 2011.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].