This article isn’t geared towards making you paranoid of everyone around you. It’s just a reminder that the only people you can really trust is me, myself and I. Listed below are 10 of the most unlikely, un-thought of and yet surprisingly, some of the most common thieves within our day to day life.

1. Children and Family Unfortunately our family are some of the most trusted people in our lives, and the first ones to do us wrong. Whether it’s your children stealing money from your wallet, or other relatives stealing from your bedroom, the truth is, family is usually the last ones we think would hurt us, yet the first ones to betray us.

2. Neighbors and Neighborhood kids Although neighborhood watches are strongly recommended, and trusting your neighbors to look after your place when you're out of town, some neighbors can be trusted. Unfortunately, this system can work against you if there is a neighbor who is up to no good. They’re the ones who are most familiar with our daily schedules, the ones we ask to check the mail for us if we’re unable, etc. And if the adults misbehave, the possibilities are endless as to what their children can do.

3. Co-Workers Most of us, especially if we work somewhere for an extended period of time, gain this natural trust for our co-workers. We leave our jackets and purses lying around while we’re busy doing this or busy doing that. Unfortunately, some of our co-workers have ill intentions and what makes it worse is the underlying vulnerability we place ourselves in while at work. Although drivers licenses are rarely stolen in the workplace, all it takes is a quick mental note or scribble on a piece of paper and your address is in the wrong hands.

4. Friends and Friends of Trusted Friends It happens too many times; You throw a party, a BBQ or a little get together and one of your closest friends invites a stranger to come along. You don’t know this person, yet feel safe with the thoughts that if your friend trusts them, then you can too. This is one of the worst positions to be in. You’ve opened your home up to a complete stranger that you know nothing about, and yet, as the minutes tick by, they seem to get to know you more and more simply based on your collectibles, furniture and pictures hanging on the wall.

5. Utility Installation Workers Most companies do their versions of background checks, drug tests and so on to ensure their customers the people they hire are trustworthy. But it’s important to remember that a person doesn’t have to be on drugs, nor does their background need to include any wrong doing. People are people. Installation workers, whether they’re from the cable, phone, electric or gas company are people, just like you and me. With that said, occasionally and especially when they have access in your home, these trusted people can become likely suspects in a home invasion. All it takes is for them to strike up a conversation with you, asking “so what are your plans for the weekend?” and if you’re really excited about the weekend trip of a lifetime you’ve been waiting for is taking place this weekend, you’re probably going to spill the beans. While you’re busy thinking about the end of the week, they could be scoping out your living room, bedroom, ways to gain entrance, etc. They could also be checking to see if you take home security precautions like an alarm system, cameras, dogs, or even window films. If the coast is clear, they could be returning this weekend.

6. Admin and Paper Pushers Any document you place your home address on leaves the possibility open for someone to simply Map Quest your address and make their way to your home. This could be at the doctor’s office, dentists, grocery store, bank, veterinarian’s office, etc. Unfortunately these places, although highly thought of, can attract the wrong type of employees. And once your private information falls into the wrong hands it could be a call for disaster.

7. Door-to-Door Salesmen It doesn’t matter what they’re selling. The moment they knock, and you open the door, they have a glimpse into your home, and your prize possessions. Most door salesmen spend a significant amount of time (several days) inside neighborhoods. This gives them a chance to gain knowledge of the neighbors, whose home, who’s not and which neighbor is checking the other neighbor’s mail or picking up their newspaper so they don’t build. Door-to-door salesmen, though they are usually briefly in our lives, tend to be trusted because of this briefness. Homeowners brush them off without a second thought. But they know where you live, they have access to learning your schedule, and they’ve had at least one chance to get an idea of what’s behind your front door.

8. Landlords and Relatives/Friends of Landlords Tenants know that besides themselves and whomever they give a spare key too, the landlord has a spare key. Unfortunately, all too often our landlords do not do a good enough job of hiding the spare key, leaving it accessible to anyone in their inner circle. Although the landlords themselves are generally trusted with our belongings, it’s hard to trust their relatives and friends and anyone whom we don’t know: strangers.

9. Postal Workers| This could be anyone from the mailman, to the FedEx or UPS driver. I’m not trying to give these people a bad name. Again, they just happen to be people we don’t consider untrustworthy until it’s too late. They have access to our mail, our deliveries, our subscriptions and our home addresses.

10. Delivery Drivers It’s late at night and you don’t want to cook. So what do you do? Most of us call and have food delivered. It doesn’t matter which type of food, as long as it kills the hunger pain. Unfortunately most mom and pop shops, pizza parlors and even flower shops hire whomever they can in order to get their deliveries delivered on time. So what does this mean? Well, just like with #7, once you open your front door, you open your home up to a completely trustworthy, yet target="_blank">complete stranger. This person now knows your home address, and unfortunately they know little things about you like the size of your TV or entertainment system; things of value.

This article isn’t meant to put the fear in you so you begin to lack trust for everyone around you, it’s simply to make you aware of how easy it is for a so-called trusted person within society to break that trust and ruin your life.