Social Media and Home Insurance
Could Social Media Lead to Break-ins at Home Whilst Occupants are on Holiday?
For many years the dangers of using social media outlets to publicise the home have been reported-on regularly. From Facebook groups that publicise a party to the posting of home addresses on profiles, there are many ways in which thieves can use such sites to decide on their targets. But another way in which thieves are getting an easy ride from social media sites is through the posting of holiday details. So if home owners do not want to face making a claim on their home insurance then ensuring that they do not publicise the times in which their property is empty could be a first step.
According to the Co-operative Travel and Co-operative Insurance (www.co-operativeinsurance.co.uk), 51% of children regularly update their social media accounts to provide details of their holiday – particularly when they are due to jet off. For any thieves looking through such posts, they will have key information concerning the best time to decide to break in. The press release from the co-operative also goes as far as to point out that this problem could get worse as the ease in which social media sites can be updated continue to increase (such as through smart-phones).
“This year’s holidaymakers are likely to be particularly vulnerable, due to the growing availability of wifi connections in hotels and resorts,” said Trevor Davies of Co-Operative Travel. “This is allowing people to keep updating their accounts while abroad and inevitably raises the awareness that the user is away from home.
“Our researchers tested the extent of the problem by searching for keywords like ‘going on holiday’ and ‘packing my case’ through tools like Openbook. They also checked for people using social media to ‘check-in’ at airports on Facebook Places.
“It took seconds to find people with updates stating when they would be away, with details revealing enough about their location and family to make finding their actual address a simple task.”
As a result Co-operative Travel and Co-operative Insurance will be advising their customers on the best ways to stay sage when leaving the country. These include using privacy settings to ensure that thieves cannot access such information.
