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With the "Summer" holidays fast approaching, here is something to ponder on...
How Social Media Can Put Your Home At Risk To Burglars
Though social media is great for connecting with friends and family, not being incredibly careful about how you use it can put your home security at risk. The way you use your social media accounts may be helping criminals target your home.
It’s Not Just What You Post
When you tell a friend on Facebook about your vacation – you’re not just talking to that friend. A simple “like” of your status update notifies all your friend’s friends that they liked your status, and so on. Eventually, someone you don’t know will figure out you’re going on vacation. Social media is meant for viral activity, and even though your status may not be viral, it could have a much bigger reach than you intend for it to.
Publicly Announcing Your Excitement About Vacation
A simple status update like, “Can’t wait to be at the beach in two days!” alerts the rest of the world to the fact that you will be out of town in 48 hours, giving them time to plan an attack. Unless someone’s going to be there to house sit, this isn’t a good idea. Instead, don’t post anything about your vacation until you’re already home. Feel free to update while you’re away, but make sure your location isn’t posted in the status – and your phone does not add your location to the status. Keep the updates vague, so as not to suggest you are on vacation.
Posting a photo of something like a landmark you see while on vacation also lets thieves know you’re so far way, you won’t be home any time soon, giving them ample time to get in and get out. While it is tempting to share photos as soon as you take them, save them for a mass upload after you get home.
What About Privacy Settings?
Keeping your social media updates set to “Friends Only” is a great way to safeguard against information being public. However, no privacy setting information on any social network is 100% fool-proof. Plus, if you have added people to your friends list for the purpose of playing games, you’ve got “friends” who have access to your information even though you do not know who they really are. If you add people you don’t know for the purpose of networking or online gaming, add those people to the “Restricted” list, which prevents them from seeing anything you do not post publicly – even though they are on your friends list. This way you can add an additional layer of protection, without worrying about who’s on your list. Even still, be careful about what you post.
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