Many people see social media sites like Facebook as a way to connect with friends and to open the door to new friendships.
But if you also like to post about your whereabouts, activities and trips on your Facebook page, you may be opening the door instead to a home robbery. There have been reported incidents of Facebook “friends” using information taken from social media websites to rob homeowners blind.
Two Indiana homeowners learned the hard way that sharing about one’s whereabouts online can go wrong when they posted that they were going to a concert and wouldn’t be home. While the pair was away, one of their “friends” from Facebook used a screwdriver to pry open their back door, and with a partner, robbed the home. It turns out, however, that the homeowners had a video surveillance system in their home, and were able to identify the Facebook “friend,” a former neighbor, committing the robbery. The men stole about $10,000 in electronics, including a large-screen TV that they tore right off the wall. CBSNews.com has the surveillance tape of the robbery on its website.
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The lesson learned here is that if you like to go online and share your activities and details about vacations and trips, etc., do so after you return home. Make sure you know who your “friends” are online and be selective about what you share. For more useful Facebook safety tips, check out this Woman’s Day article about using Facebook safely on Yahoo.
