As the popularity of social media networking grows, so do the dangers and consequences. Recently I learned of a very interesting story about a frequent "Tweeter" who had his house subsequently burglarized after a revealing post. The man announced on the social networking service Twitter that he was going to be away from home for a period of time because he was going on vacation. His "Finally going on vacation!" post didn't just excite him. His Twitter account was configured to also do a status update on his Facebook, which has no shortage of community members willing to share virtually everything about themselves.
It hasn't been proven that there's a connection between the information he shared with potentially tens of thousands of people. It could be a random event that coincidentally lined up with his updated status on those two popular social networking websites. However, the point wasn't lost on me that many burglars will stop at nothing to burglarize homes. I have no doubt there are professional burglars taking advantage of naïve people at some of the world's most popular – and populated – social networking services.
In the physical world, there are many things you can do to protect your home against would-be burglars. One of those things is to not advertise that you're away on vacation. Stop mail and newspaper deliveries while you're gone. Hire a house sitter if you can. A trusted neighbor or family member will ensure your home looks occupied while away. If you're going to be gone for an extended period, arrange to have your yard work taken care of in the summer, and snow removal in the winter.
These are all things that you can do, or have done for you while you're away, to make a potential burglar think twice about burglarizing your home. In the online world there are also things you can do to protect you and your family against a variety of potential harm or damage. Keeping a tight rein on your private and personal information is rule number one. The more you divulge about yourself, particularly when the potential for easy access by strangers is higher, as it is on social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, and a host of others, the better the odds are that you will eventually be targeted for a scam or real world burglar attempt.
Teach your kids to not divulge any personal information to strangers on the internet, and to never give out information like family schedules, planned trips or vacations, addresses, phone numbers, places of employment, and information about the physical makeup of the family residence. Children must be taught to never divulge anything about the consumer electronics equipment and other valuable family possessions under any circumstance. This is the information skilled burglars and con artists use to create a profile of a potential victim.
An ADT monitored alarm can help protect your home whether you're there or not. Security experts and ADT representatives want you and your family to be safe in your home, online, and all the times in between. Start taking home security seriously, and burglars will skip your house, opting for an easier target.
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