Six Key Tips for Social Media and Home Security
1. Don't Post About Your Travel Plans
If you put your travel dates, flight info, or vacation plans online, you're going to make your home vulnerable to potential burglaries. Tech-savvy burglars trolling social media could easily realize that you're not going to be home and plan to strike when no one is home. They can break in, steal your stuff, and be gone before you return. And they'll have lots of time to make their getaway since no one's going to be home to alert the police for a while.
Don't announce your travel plans on social media to avoid giving a thief an invitation to your home.
2. Disable Location Services on Your Phone
Location services on your phone often run in the background unless you turn it off. Before you leave for your vacation, go to your settings and disable your location service so no one can figure out where you are.
If you are unsure about if certain apps are tracking your location, turn off access to GPS in each of the apps in the settings. However, even if you disable location settings and keep your posts private, someone with bad intentions can easily use search engines to determine both your current location and your home address.
3. Change Your Tagging Settings
Change your social media settings so that posts that people tag you in won't automatically pop up on your profile. Your traveling partner might tag you in a photo or status, and this is another way that thieves can figure out that you're not home.
Unfortunately, burglars are intelligent enough to check your recent activities on social media. Take some time to check your social media settings and make sure that posts you're tagged in won't appear on your page.
4. Don't Check-In at Various Locations
On various social media platforms, you might have the option to "Check-In" when you're at a certain location. Resist the urge to check in because it can be a dead giveaway if you're not at home. Whether you're going on a road trip or flying, don't share your whereabouts online.
5. Take a Break from Social Media While You're On Vacation
It's freeing to just take a break from your social media accounts while you're vacationing. Vacation is time for relaxing, experiencing new places, and spending time with family and friends. Don't be busy looking at your phone, but instead, take in your surroundings or enjoy your time with your traveling partners.
You may have social media withdrawal, but you will survive. Put your phone aside for your trip and simply live in the moment and enjoy your vacation.
6. Post About Your Trip After You're Back
If you are itching to post on social media, wait until you're home. This will allow you to go through all your pictures and choose your favorite ones to share; that way, you're not oversharing you, friends and family, with photos and posts on social media.
Integrity Security
Vacation is meant to be relaxing, stress-free for you and your family or friends. Take a break from social media this summer, and don't give away your whereabouts on social media. Traveling is a fun experience, and of course, you want to capture the memories with photos to share with those closest to you.
Just be careful on social media and don't broadcast your location on the internet because suspicious people are looking for an opportunity to break into your home. Focus on being in the moment instead of posting pictures and posts about your vacation because time flies by when you're looking at your phone.
For excellent security, Integrity Security offers residential and commercial security services for those seeking property protection while they are away. Our main goal is to protect families, homes, businesses, and possessions. Contact us today to discuss how we can make your property more secure and safe.