People put their newspaper delivery on hold when they go on vacation to avoid a pile of papers on the driveway, advertising their absence to burglars.

But for dozens of Californians, that pre-emptive move backfired. Badly.

Armed with stolen lists of vacationing subscribers, a troupe of burglars ransacked at least 25 Los Angeles-area homes
to the tune of $1 million over a period of three years, authorities said.

The team stole computers, jewelry, musical instruments and even collectible swords, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The scheme started when 51-year-old Duane Van Tuinen, an office machine repairman, was contracted by distributors of the Los Angeles Times to repair equipment, officials said.

Source: Holly Yan and Amanda Watts for CNN