Minecraft wiki entry for Hiding_chests, associated text: A trapped chest could easily be a decoy, hooked up to TNT or some other kind of deadly trap. If this tactic is common knowledge on your server, placing your valuables in a trapped chest might be enough to dissuade potential thieves. The good part of this double-bluff is that it is relatively cheap and can be combined with any other hiding method. The bad part is that it relies on the thief noticing that the chest is trapped before they try opening it.