'Burglary tourists' using hidden cameras to break into SoCal homes, LASD warns

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has issued a warning against thieves who are planting hidden cameras in neighborhoods and timing when to break into homes.

Authorities ask the public to be vigilant after they say a local resident found a hidden camera and a battery pack in a flower bed.

Images released Tuesday by the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station shows the camera was wrapped in leaves - presumably to blend in with shrubbery.

"While out gardening or if you have a someone that maintains your yard, be on the lookout for suspicious devices," authorities said in a press release.

Investigators suspect the camera found was placed there by so-called burglary tourists who hide cameras to monitor the activities of a homeowner and then break into their residences.

Authorities believe burglars from South America come to the U.S. on limited tourist visas and then target homes to steal from.

The burglars use "covert tactics, concealing surveillance devices like hidden cameras amidst natural surroundings such as leaves and bushes," according to the Sheriff's Department.

Just last week in Glendale, four Colombian nationals suspected in an international "burglary tourism" ring were arrested following a traffic stop.

Authorities ask the public to be vigilant, conduct regular inspections, report suspicious activity and to consider boosting home security.