It used to be that criminals would peruse the obituaries or wedding announcements in the papers to find out when potential burglary targets would be out of the house. Many a bereaving family through the years has returned to their home after a funeral only to find it had been broken into and robbed.
Nowadays, criminals can afford to be a little less cold-hearted, but equally as devious by simply logging onto any number of social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare where users freely post their locations – or where it is automatically posted for them with each post or Tweet.
Over the weekend, police in Nashua, New Hampshire recovered over $100,000 in goods and merchandise from 3 teenagers who committed over 50 break-ins in the area. Though maybe not the “Facebook Burglars” that the media initially made them out to be, it seems that they used the popular website to check on at least one of their victim’s whereabouts before breaking into his home.
More notably, the “Bling Ring” burglars in California used Facebook, Twitter and other sites to research their celebrity victims and steal over $2 million dollars in merchandise and goods in their year-long crime spree that ended in the fall of 2009.
While social media sites provide fun ways to connect and share your life with your friends, they should be approached with a bit of caution. Follow these social media site safety tips to avoid making yourself an easy target for web-savvy criminals:
- Be Careful What You Post on Your Wall
Don’t be lured in by the false sense of safety that social media outlets provide. Whether you like it or not, you have to assume that your Facebook wall is a public place and that people with less than noble motives are reading what you write.
Have a Good Security Support Team
99% of the time nosy neighbors can be a nuisance. When you’re away from home for an extended period of time, however, they can be a Godsend. If you don’t have curious neighbors to keep an eye your house, enlist one, or even a friend or relative who lives nearby to stop in and check on things periodically while you’re gone.
Hire a House Sitter
There’s nothing like a human presence at your place to ward off criminals. Remember, the majority of crooks are, by nature, lazy and looking for an easy score. They aren’t looking for a challenge to test their skills or for a big haul. They’re looking for items that they can turn into cash quickly. Simply having a person at your home while you’re away will most likely send them looking for an easier target.
Install a Home Security System
We, of course, believe that a monitored home security system is the absolute best way to prevent property loss through theft or fire, especially if you’re frequently spending nights away from your home. Simply set the alarm when you walk out the door and then enjoy your vacation or trip with peace of mind.
For more information on our line of fully customizable home security systems, contact us through our main website at http://www.monitronics.com or call us at 800-290-0709.
We care about customer service!
We’re celebrating here, but our work is far from done. We are dedicated to providing the best possible service to each and every customer.
Here are some of the significant things we are doing to continually increase the quality of our customer experience.
We strive to get it right the first time and when we don’t, we want to hear from you. Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/monitronics , our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/monitronics, or call us at 800-447-9239 and let us know how we are doing. We want to know!
Posted in: Business Security, Home Security, Industry Happenings