BEWARE: WA Residents Are Being Warned About Phrogging

Phrogging - is a term for someone secretly living in your home without your knowledge.  It’s rare, but frighteningly -  it is known to have happened here in Washington.

I’ve experienced the strange sounds. Noises in my home. It sometimes seems like someone was occasionally living inside my walls. Inspecting the attic above my second-story home, I found that woodpeckers entered the attic and began spending some time there. I had to plug the holes and clean up after those pesky birds. I was fortunate only to have birds invading my home.

How would you react if you discovered a human intruder lived in your attic or crawl space? 

That’s the definition of phrogging: Someone secretly living in your home without your knowledge. The name comes from an intruder hopping from place to place like a frog, whether someone’s basement, attic, or crawlspace.

What’s the difference between a phrogger and a squatter?

Squatters occupy abandoned structures. Phroggers choose to sneak into occupied homes and vacation homes, which are left empty for weeks or months at a time.

There are Stories Of Phrogging Incidents In Washington.

A 20-year-old woman experienced what many of us consider our worst fear—a stranger secretly living in her Enumclaw home. Living on the top floor of her apartment, she heard footsteps above her bedroom and noticed odd things disappearing from her refrigerator.

Her landlord dismissed the idea of anyone in her attic, and she thought that if her brother stopped in to eat, dirty dishes and cups would be left out in her kitchen. The telling moment came when she became sick and had to stay home from work. 

That evening, she ran the bath water for herself. 

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Laying in the tub, she looked up and noticed the hatch to her attic was left open. She calmly toweled off, left her apartment, and called the police. Upon investigation, officers inspected the attic above her unit and found a sleeping bag, food, and a book. 

Someone was living there. 

The young woman left a copy of the police report with her landlord, quickly removed her belongings, and moved away. 

How To Spot And Avoid a Phrogger?

SuperMoney gave four tips: Check spaces in your home you don't use regularly, Set Up security cameras, Monitor your belongings, and finally, get a dog.