As everyone leaps into the digital world, so have criminals. They are really taking advantage of social media and the people's open communication on these sites. People are giving burglars way too much information on Facebook and Twitter and that gives them the opportunity to break in.
Of the convicted burglars questioned, over 75% said that social media and sites like Google street view, which played a huge role in them planning their entrance and escape routes were used to help them with their break in. They said that they used Facebook and Twitter - where users 'check in' to locations - as it was a useful source of information, providing you with where someone was and when they wouldn't be at home.
Social media experts say that people's status updates can be seen by burglars and that it's really important not to post things like "Just arrived at the airport, can't wait to get on holiday for two weeks". This post gives a burglar all the information they need and to them it's almost an open invitation.
How can we prevent this?
The simple solution would be to secure your social media networks and make sure that all privacy settings on your social media accounts are enabled. This will limit the chances of you being targeted but the problem with this is that it doesn't rule it out completely. If you want to rule out break ins and protect your home, the best option, in many people's opinion is to install a visual deterrent. A visual deterrent, like security grilles or window grilles, will put burglars off because of their visual appearance and because of the difficulty a burglar will face in trying to break through them. If a burglar can see security grilles at a home, they will probably avoid it and target somewhere that doesn't.
Unfortunately, with crime rates rising, we have to think like a burglar sometimes and if your home is more secure than others, it's much less likely to be targeted. Many people are opting to have more locks and more secure locks on their main entrance doors, as a burglar will see this as a massive inconvenience.
Security experts have also recommended getting a safe to store all your valuable documents, especially your passport as many criminals are cloning these kinds of things and you could be at risk of identity fraud.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6696495
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