Beware! Burglars have an eye on your Facebook status
By IANSTuesday, July 20, 2010
LONDON - Think twice before updating your status on social networking site Facebook as burglars now see it before breaking-in, a survey by a British insurance firm has found.
The survey was carried out on 50 former thieves by insurance firm More Than.
Richard Taylor, from South Wales, said burglars were now using Facebook and Twitter to size up homes.
He told The Sun that he had seen a number of people who post a status update about being excited that they’re going away.
People put all sorts of information on Facebook including their address and mobile number. A thief has to call the mobile number and if there’s an international ring tone they know you are away, he said.
Taylor observed that putting information on the internet leaves one vulnerable to theft.
The survey found 34 percent of the respondents went through bedroom drawers, while 12 percent look in a wardrobe and four percent would look in a fridge.
It also showed that a dog can put off burglars. As many as 86 percent of the respondents said that having a dog at home would either have an impact in stopping theft or would certainly stop it.
