LOVELAND – These days, it seems like everyone is sharing everything online. What you may not always realize is that the information posted online is fairly public, even if you have a private profile. Something that you post could be shared by your friends or their friends, and their profiles may not be so private. To keep your home and family safe, keep these safety tips in mind.
Don’t share vacation plans ahead of time
As excited as you may be about your upcoming vacation, don’t share this information on social media. What better way to make your home a target for thieves than to publicize that you will be away from home for a certain number of days? Wait until you return from your trip to share the information. This will also help you focus more on enjoying your trip and less on updating social media.
Don’t post pictures of your expensive belongings
We all like to brag a little, but sometimes it’s best not to share the details of what you own so publicly. Posting pictures of valuable antiques, jewelry, electronics and other belongings on social media websites can really get people’s attention. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s the wrong type of attention and can make your home a target
for thieves.
Don’t publicize your routine
Another safety concern is allowing people to know your schedule. If you post a workout picture every morning and tag your gym location, tag your child’s school at pickup/drop off, etc., this is giving people valuable information about where you will be and at approximately what time each day. That information could be harmful in the wrong hands.
Better to be safe
When it comes to social media, we tend to connect with close friends and general acquaintances. Some are people that we know very well and others may be new people that you’ve just met. We would all like to believe that the people we interact with are trustworthy, but sadly, that’s not always the case. There’s also the question of who those people may be connected to on social media.
Ultimately, anything that you post can get into the wrong hands and earn some unwanted attention for you, your family, and your home. For safety reasons, it’s a good idea to avoid posting certain types of information. Above are just a few examples. We hope these tips help you
all stay a little bit safer.
Suzanne Plewes is a Broker Associate at RE/MAX Alliance in Loveland. If you have questions regarding real estate, please write to
750 W. Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, CO 80537, call 970.290.0373 or e-mail [email protected].