Open House, License to Steal? Not So Fast

Jan. 27, 2009— -- At an open house real estate agents can show off their latest properties and entice prospective buyers with the warmth and luxury of a "lived-in" home.

But this time-honored tradition has unexpectedly opened the door to more than just interested buyers. Thieves are also finding gold mines in these enviable homes.

In a case that grabbed headlines in 2007, police say two women posing as wealthy home buyers were caught stealing tens of thousands of dollars of merchandise from pricey Manhattan homes.

Watch the story on ABC's "What Would You Do?" tonight at 10 ET.

What would you do if, while touring a lavish home filled with expensive treasures and decor, you noticed someone slip something into a bag? ABC News decided to find out by staging an open house.

In an upper-middle-class community in suburban New Jersey, ABC News rigged a home for sale with a dozen hidden cameras, staged it with fine crystal, fur coats, jewelry and expensive gadgets and instructed two actresses to steal in plain view of other visitors touring the home.

Potential home buyers Nina Goffman and Scott Drucks were visiting the open house when Goffman seemed to spot the two thieves steal a crystal bowl from the elaborate dining room table and then swipe prescription bottles from the kitchen counter. Though she appeared to tell Drucks what she'd seen, minutes went by and no one said a word until Margot, another actress cast as the homeowner, told them that her laptop was missing.

Although Drucks never witnessed the crime, he immediately suggested to Margot that the laptop had been taken by thieves and headed to the front door to confront them. The scene turned into a heated altercation as Drucks called 911 and tried to keep the thieves from leaving the house before the cops arrived. Emergency officials were aware of ABC News' experiment.