How to prevent burglars finding you on social media
You can never be too careful these days, and with burglars finding more and more creative ways to swindle you out of your precious possessions, it’s never been more important to ensure you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself, your family and your home.
These days, with so many of us broadcasting our whereabouts on Facebook and sharing photos of our holidays, nights out and belongings, it’s never been easier for robbers to track us down. Luckily, there are a number of ways you might be able to prevent this happening.
1. Avoid sharing
It’s tempting to share your holiday snaps as soon as you take them and your stories as soon as you experience them, but this can alert potential burglars to the fact that your house is (most likely) empty. Instead, either send some photos privately to trusted friends and family members or wait until you get back home. After all, it’s better to enjoy your holiday or night out than post about it the whole time.
It’s also important to keep in mind that would-be robbers often keep track of hashtags, so if you use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any other form of social media that uses hashtags, make sure you don’t add keywords like #holiday, #travel or #nightout to your posts.
2. Check your privacy
Just how private are your social media accounts, really? You might be surprised to learn the answer. While your privacy on Instagram and Twitter can be easily managed with the touch of a button, Facebook isn’t so straightforward.
Head to the “Privacy” section in your Facebook settings and ensure only the people you want to see your posts are seeing them, and no one you’d rather not.
It’s possible your mobile number or address is linked to your account (for login and security purposes). If this is the case, double check that this information is private or visible only to those closest to you.
3. Cull your friends list
Your Facebook profile might be set so that only friends can see what you post, but who are your friends? Have you added anyone you don’t know or don’t trust? Take the time to go through your friends list and delete anyone you don’t know in real life or would prefer not to see any of your information.
Combine these tips with all the usual real-world advice (like locking all the doors and windows, having your mail redirected, keeping your home and contents insurance policy up-to-date, removing any hidden keys etc) and chances are you won’t have to worry about your home being targeted.