How Social Media Can Put Your Home At Risks For Thefts (PHOTOS)

All it takes is one careless status update.

We know social media has come in handy sometimes in terms of our personal safety, but did you know in some cases sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare can also put you and your home at risk for theft and intrusions?

A simple status update about your upcoming vacation or a check-in at a restaurant allows your home to be vulnerable to criminal activities because burglars are actually using these tools to follow through with perfectly-timed robberies.

In fact, in 2011 UK home security company Friedland surveyed 50 ex-burglars and 78 percent believed social media, particularly Google Street View was being used by current thieves to target homes. And most recently in May 2012, bandits broke into a 17-year-old Australian girl’s mother house after seeing her post a photo of herself on Facebook counting a large sum of money.

So, what you may think is a fun and harmless photo can actually end up costing you. The staff over at Protect Your Home came up with a few good tips on how to guard yourself, including: de-friending people you don’t know well enough, avoid posting travel plans and disabling your location information on your phones.

Click through our slideshow to see other ways to protect yourself from burglaries and head over to Protect Your Home for more helpful tips.

Don't Announce Vacations On Social Media

Tips To Prevent Home Burglaries

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