Be Careful What You Put on Social Media
You're enjoying your holiday, the sun is shining, the food is great, and you've just seen how dismal the weather is back home: it's the natural thing to take a selfie and post it on Facebook. But perhaps you should think before you act. The Financial Ombudsman has warned that police forces across the country have noticed a correlation between burglaries and social media posts.
While your friends and family will be pleased to see what a wonderful time your having (and maybe getting just a teeny-weeny bit jealous), others may be working out how to turn it to their advantage and your disadvantage. Some scurrilous person now knows your house is unoccupied, and they just need to find out which house is yours. They might find that out too from the internet, and then you're just one step away from a nasty shock when you get home.
Then if the worst does happen, there could be another shock in store. Your home insurance probably includes a clause saying that you must "take reasonable care" to secure your house and it's contents. A less-then-generous insurance company may say that you have invalidated your insurance by publicising your absence from home, and refuse to pay out.
“If you wouldn’t put up a poster on your front lawn saying you’re going on holiday for a few weeks, then don’t post the same thing online with your home details to a bunch of strangers,” is the Financial Ombudsman’s guidance.
Stay Safe
To keep yourself safe, the best thing is not to post photographs or details of your holiday while you are away. It seems a radical idea, but you could step back for a couple of weeks and just enjoy your holiday. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest et al will get on fine without you.
If you really must tell your friends about that delicious dinner or the stunning scenery, apply some sensible rules. First, avoid Twitter, because anyone can see what you post on there. In the case of Facebook, adjust your privacy settings so that you are properly selective about who sees your posts (it's probably best to do that all the time, anyway). If you use other social media, check the privacy settings there before you go.
Lastly, be aware that even if you don't put up information that directly points to your holiday, you might still be revealing your location when you use your favourite social site. Most of them use GPS to pick up your location and an eagle-eyed burglar might spot that you are posting from Spain and therefore are unlikely to be at home for at least the next few hours. It's easy to switch off location services, and safest to do so.
Don't Worry Too Much
Having said all that, don't panic and don't worry too much. Our homes are much more secure than they were 20 years ago and burglaries have been dropping every year for quite a long time. Whatever you do, you probably won't get burgled. But it just seems sensible to tilt the probability in your favour, and not against you.
18 Aug 2015, 12:08