03
May 2013
Posted by Rob
Comments Off

Protect Your Home, Protect Your Identity

If you were to make a list of the items in your home most likely to be targeted by intruders, what would you write down? The television, stereo, artwork, ornaments, jewelry?  What about you? Would you put yourself down on a list of things most at risk of being stolen?

Being physically removed from your home is not required for an intruder to steal you. They can simply steal your identity.

Burglars are now targeting homes—not for the flat screen TV or gold jewelry, but for bank statements and other documents that can give them access to your identity and the pot of gold that can be taken from your bank account and through loans taken out in your name. Your home gives an intruder a good idea of whether your family is wealthy or not. If you have a large property with the latest gadgets in plain view and a new car on the driveway, this will be taken as a sign that you earn a high wage—a wage that will serve their needs well.

Identity Theft

Protecting your Identity

With identity theft a growing problem across America, it’s essential that you take steps to ensure you are never at risk. Password protection on phones, tablets and computers is a good start. Shredding all bank statements and letters containing your address and other sensitive information before putting them in the trash is also recommended. However, to really ensure your identity is protected, you should start by securing the very place where all of this personal information can be found: your home.

Installing Monitored Home Security

If your home is protected against the threat of intrusion, you are taking a good step toward reducing the risk of identity theft. At Monitronics, we offer home security systems for families, single parents, and seniors, all of which fortify your home.

With yard signs and window and door stickers, intruders will know instantly that your home is protected by our award-winning home security. Should they take the unwise decision to ignore these warnings, advanced window and door sensors and motion-sensing cameras will trigger your alarm and alert the Monitronics Alarm Response Center.

Guarding your identity is as important as protecting your possessions. This is done best with monitored home security.

To find out more about our tailored systems, visit www.Monitronics.com.

Posted in: Home Security

26
Apr 2013
Posted by Rob
Comments Off

Don’t Let Daylight Savings Time Put you off Home Security

Daylight savings time took place across the United States on March 10, and for many people this was a cause for celebration—a sign that spring was around the corner and the cold dark winter days were behind us until later in the year.

For some people, the brighter mornings and long sunny days result in a feeling of being safer within their neighborhood. The wintertime is a time of year when burglary rates across the U.S. spike, as Thanksgiving and Christmas see our homes filled with gifts and expensive items—all natural attractions to opportunistic thieves. You may also assume that the shorter days and longer nights of winter are ideal for burglars looking to operate under the cover of darkness; however, statistics show this not to be the case.

Burglars Prefer Daylight

The stereotypical image of a burglar is always one of a man in dark clothing prowling around in the shadows of night, but in reality, nighttime is an intruder’s least favorite time of day. U.S. burglary statistics show that, while home break-ins can occur at any time of the day, they most commonly happen between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm.

This fact may come as a surprise to homeowners, but it does make sense when you think about it. The five-hour period between 10 am and 3 pm is that time of day when homeowners are most likely to be away from the home, either at work or running errands. The same applies to children, who attend school during these hours. While nighttime does offer the cover of darkness to would-be intruders, it’s also a time of day when you are most likely to be home.

Burglars Operate in Plain View

Given the fact that burglars are more likely to strike during the daytime, one would assume that an intruder would operate with tact, choosing an entry point away from the street and out of sight. In reality, criminals are much more brazen than this. Statistics show that 34% of the time, the most common point of entry is through the front door, followed by first-floor windows (23%) and the back door (22%).

These facts show that not only are intruders bold enough to target homes during the daytime; they don’t mind operating in full view of the street.

Installing Home Security

With longer daylight hours upon us, there’s a good chance you will be spending more time away from home, giving criminals a greater time-frame in which to operate. It’s vital, then, that you consider home security.

At Monitronics, our monitored home alarm systems give you the extra pair of eyes you need, looking after your home when you physically cannot. Our systems can be tailored for families, single parents, and seniors alike, giving you peace of mind that your home is protected as you make the most of daylight savings time.

To find out more about our security packages, visit www.Monitronics.com.

Posted in: Home Security

17
Apr 2013
Posted by Rob
Comments Off

Increase Independent Living with Medical Monitoring

Spend a few hours visiting with elderly residents of a nursing home and you are quite likely to notice an interesting trend. Many will tell you that selling their homes and moving into the facility was the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives. Harder than raising kids; harder than dealing with medical emergencies; even harder than working through the difficulties of marriage. For so many people, moving out of a home they have known for more than 30 years is excruciatingly difficult.

Keep in mind the house is not the only issue for seniors. Many of them also cannot bear the thought of having to depend on children or professional caregivers for their day-to-day care. Losing one’s independence is just as devastating as losing one’s home. It can be so devastating for some it throws them into a state of depression from which they may never recover. That is no way to spend one’s golden years.

You Can Help Your Elderly Loved Ones

If you could allow your elderly loved ones to remain independent by installing an alarm system with medical monitoring, would you? If medical monitoring could give you the peace of mind you need to trust your loved ones to continue living independently, would it be worth it? At Monitronics, we believe the answer to both questions is “yes.”

We know how much Americans value independent living through every stage of life. After all, independence is this country’s foundation. When some members of our society get older, we should not necessarily expect them to be willing to sell the house and move into a facility at the drop of a hat.

Medical Monitoring Increases Independence

Thanks to medical monitoring from companies like Monitronics, your older family members may not have to sell their houses right away. As long as medical monitoring provides that safety net they need, most seniors can remain living independently for longer than we would like to believe.

Medical monitoring works like this:

  • A security system is either installed or upgraded to include a medical monitoring
  • Elderly occupants of the home are provided with medical alert pendants
  • Our state-of-the-art monitoring center stands ready to answer if the medical alert device triggers an alarm
  • In the case of an alarm one, of our trained personnel will speak to the home’s occupants over the loudspeaker system
  • The appropriate caregivers and first responders are notified

Medical monitoring is a way to help individuals with a variety of physical conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and the general instability of age. With medical monitoring, there is no need for the age-old scenario of falling and being unable to get up. Your elderly loved one does not even need to be near a phone during emergency. Just pressing the button on the medical alert pendant sends an alarm to our monitoring center.

Other Services You Can Add

In addition to medical monitoring, a Monitronics alarm system can also keep an eye on carbon monoxide levels and the potential of a structural fire. In each case, our monitoring center is immediately alerted when an alarm is triggered. Our trained personnel spring into action in order to safeguard lives and protect personal property.

The type of home security system you need depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Perhaps you have no elderly relatives living with you; perhaps all you need is a basic system with burglary monitoring, or you are looking for a security system on a limited budget. Regardless of your needs and goals, Monitronics can put together a system and monitoring package that is right for you.

Posted in: Monitoring

10
Apr 2013
Posted by Rob
Comments Off

Home Security: Keeping your Home and Family Safe

Learn how to keep your home and family safe with a Monitronics home security system. Check out the following facts and statistics to keep your environment safe and secure.

Home Security: Keeping your Home and Family Safe

Home Security: Keeping your Home and Family Safe

Posted in: Infographic

03
Apr 2013
Posted by Rob
Comments Off

Rise in Residential Burglaries Further Highlights the Need for Home Security

Residential burglaries are on the rise in certain areas. According to a study put out by the Arcata Police Department in California, reported residential burglaries since October 2012 have surged from under 10 per month to almost one a day. Speaking to the Arcata Eye, APD Lt. Todd Dokweiler said that the Arcata Police Department “really don’t have a reason” why figures have risen so dramatically, though the underlying motivation for burglary can often be attributed to heroin or methamphetamine addiction.

The APD partly attributes the rise in numbers to one or two burglars targeting several properties, but the increase is still very significant, and it’s not just the residential areas of Arcata that are affected. AL.com last week reported that burglars were forcing their way into residential homes without alarm systems in Mountain Brook, Ala., and getting away with various valuables in plain sight – sometimes even in residents’ unlocked vehicles.

There’s similar concern in San Luis Obispo, where city police have warned residents to be on the lookout for burglars; two men are thought to have broken into six homes since December last year between the hours of 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. and stolen items including electronics, jewelry, and cash. Some people targeted in this case are reporting that burglars knock on doors to see if anyone is at the property and breaking when they feel it is safe.

In all cases, police are urging residents to keep doors and windows locked and hide valuable items away from plain sight. However, while this is helpful, it’s only a small part of home intruder protection.

Install a Home Security System

On this blog, we talk a lot about Monitronics home security systems and how they can help protect your home against intruders. But there’s no greater way of driving this point home than with facts. If you live in any of those cities mentioned, the current heightened risk of burglary is enough of a threat to warrant a home alarm system; however, such security should be a major consideration for every homeowner in America.

The cases highlighted in this post show that burglars are becoming more brazen, targeting homes in broad daylight with no regard for sentimental items. Monitronics’ home security systems with Five Diamond Certified Monitoring ensure that a burglar will never go unnoticed. According to the report on AL.com, the intruder habits of focusing on homes without alarm systems means that simply installing home security often will prevent your home from being a target.

Neighborhood Watch

Join the Neighborhood Watch

In the APD’s quest to clamp down on burglaries in Arcata, the area’s four or five Neighborhood Watch groups are helping police. Joining your local Neighborhood Watch will help you get to know other residents better and ensure that you are part of a community group in which everyone is looking out for each other and reporting any suspicious activity to the police.

To find out more about Monitronics’ home alarm systems visit www.Monitronics.com. For information on Neighborhood Watch, visit www.ncpc.org.

 

Posted in: Home Security