For those who enjoy posting on Social Media, ask yourself these questions:
Have you posted information about where you live, the names of your children and pets and where you work?
Have you posted information about the party you are going to this weekend?
What about when your getaway vacation starts or your plans with your children tomorrow?
If you posted any of these examples, you need to be aware that you may have provided information that is extremely helpful to hundreds of potential burglars or worse yet, kidnappers. You might as well have posted where you hide that extra key to your home, your social security number and your bank account number on Facebook or Twitter.
Try to imagine arriving home to find it in shambles, draws opened; nightstands ransacked, closets torn apart looking like a tornado struck and everything of value taken.
You are shocked, terrified and wondering who did this. How did a burglar know when to break-in? Suddenly panic hits “how can I ever replace everything stolen from me?”
When the police arrive, they ask whom you might suspect. Could it be someone you know quite well or casually? Then they will inquire if you are active on Social Media. Assuming you are active; you will soon discover that your list of suspects catapulted into the hundreds.
Social media enthusiasts love sharing their life experiences with family, friends and often with anyone who “Friend’s” them. By doing so, they invite virtual strangers into their lives in ways they cannot begin to imagine.
Protect Your Personal Information & Property From Social Media
Social media enthusiasts need to understand that the more information they provide about themselves on social media, the more likely they will become a target of stalkers, burglars, and kidnappers. Criminals use the information about you and your family to plan their break-in or worse yet, a kidnapping. You must take responsibility for your actions if you continue to expose yourself and your family by posting your whereabouts and plans for the future.
You should enjoy your social media and interaction with your friends and family without revealing a timetable for future plans. It is a lot safer to post about the good time you had after the trip, or the event is over.
Police are usually overwhelmed with investigations of home invasions and burglaries many of which are associated with social media, while others could be random acts or inside jobs. We are confident you do not want to be a burglary victim who is compelled to wait weeks or months for an overwhelmed police department to start investigating your case.
No one is suggesting that you stop enjoying your social media. However, you need to be aware that you can become a victim of a crime because you revealed too much personal information on your social media.
What to do if the police cannot help you?
Should you experience a long delay for the police to get around to your case, you might want to contact a private investigator in your area to begin looking into your case.
Social media enthusiasts, may not be aware of the consequences of posting updates on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites about their every move, or their latest adventure. They might as well distribute keys to their home to hundreds of strangers if they continue posting status reports.
Social media presents an abundance of opportunities to steal your identity as well as breaking into your home. Plans referencing going out of town open your door to a burglary or worse yet; you may leave your family vulnerable to assault or robbery.
Have you ever considered that the videos you posted of your family on YouTube provided a tremendous insight and observation of your family and your home? You should take into consideration that any video you upload to the Internet will provide information to certain deranged individuals who might act out on fulfilling their sick fantasies or criminal intent.
Having an adorable child of any age that some mentally disturbed individual thinks should be theirs is a reality to be aware of. Even sharing the name of your pet, enables a perpetrator to friend your pet, kidnap your pet and even harm your pet. So why offer the world the name of your pet? Think about that!
