Posted on 09/13/2010 4:44:32 PM PDT by dynachrome
If you plan to log into your Facebook account and announce to the world that you’re heading to the beach for the weekend, you might want to append the status update with a warning that your home is under 24-hour surveillance, you have a 140-pound Rottweiler who hasn’t eaten in a week and that you own a really good alarm system.
If you don’t, you personal belongings could be fodder for some tech-savvy burglars.
According to New Hampshire’s WMUR Channel 9 News, three local men, Mario Rojas, Leonardo Barroso and Victor Rodriguez, have burglarized more than 18 homes in the Nashua area of New Hampshire simply by checking status updates on Facebook and then pillaging the houses of victims who announced on the social network that they were not home.
(Excerpt) Read more at bits.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Set your Facebook privacy settings to “Friends Only”. The default is “Everyone”.
Watch what your kids post, also.
Better yet; delete and close your profile on Facebook.
That's too much work. The right thing to do is needlessly terrify people and let them know that there's nothing they can do to protect themselves.
I guess you could file this under “too much information.” Whatever happened to discretion?
You put the newspaper and the mail on hold, so they don’t pile up in the yard; and then you tell all of your facebook friends that you’re going to be 900 miles from home for a week. What were you thinking?
I have known families to bring in a house sitter while everyone goes to a funeral. As you may know, funerals are generally posted in the newspaper, and the bad guys can generally read...
Make sure that “Places” NOT on. It’s like having a GPS on you, telling everyone where you are at all the times. I also have my FB set on Friends only. Not even friends of friends. I don’t have my birthday showing, city, etc. I don’t use my maiden name for fear of identity theft. I would have a lot more friends of I did use my maiden name but not worth it.
I always have a friend or two check the dynachrome mansion while I am away.
BFLR
Just changed all my setting to Friends Only. It may hurt the marketing of my book, but better safe than sorry.
Maybe some tech-savvy cops could use FB to create a “honeypot” trap and catch the tech-savvy crooks. Too easy!
“Mario Rojas, Leonardo Barroso and Victor Rodriguez”
The Amish strike AGAIN!!!
In the early 70’s, one of the Doctors I worked with complained that his less than 1 week old TV had been stolen, and nothing else seemed to be missing. He thought perhaps it had been an inside job, since “who else would know I had a new TV”.
So I asked him how he had disposed of the big box that the set had been in.
He said he put it out on the street, with the rest of the trash, to be collected.
I then explained that everyone that drove past his house on trash day knew he had a new TV.
“I have known families to bring in a house sitter while everyone goes to a funeral.”
Over 25 years ago, when my first wife died, the funeral director asked if I wanted house sitting service. I didn’t need his service, since a neighbor had offered to watch the house and kids.
I do the same thing. Any travel or related is mentioned only after getting back to the barn. My wife does the same.
If anyone wants to add me on FB, please feel free to ask. Not much goes on though.
It is foolish to tell ANYONE, execept a trusted neighbor that you are going away and to keep an eye on your place....i.e. take the mail, newspapers, etc.
This is how it was done “back in the days” and I wish for those times to come back.
Or have a separate personal facebook
“Amish’
One of the replies at the site mentioned they looked like fine old New England stock. LOL
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