This has made me think - are we putting our stuff at risk?
By oldchem1
@oldchem1 (8132)
August 4, 2010 2:47am CST
I am on a UK survey site and have just completed a few surveys, one of which was about contents insurance, and online security and it has really made me think!!
From the questions it was asking it was saying that by our status and what we say on Facebook we are telling [people when our homes are going to be empty - let's face it how many of us put on our status that we are going away on holiday, going out for the day, visiting relatives etc - I know that I do without giving it a second thought.
Added to that people put photos of their new cars, say they've bought new TV, laptop etc - we are in fact giving would be thieves an itinerary of what we have and when they can come and get them.
The survey also indicated that in future any insurance claims would be looking at social networking sites and seeing if we have been advertising the fact that we are away etc and maybe not allowing the claim; I can see this being put into future policies.
As I said this has really made me think about just what we DO put on our Facebook!!
Does this concern you?
1 person likes this
11 responses
@consultrainer (4991)
• India
4 Aug 10
well, your comments made me remind the feature movie "HOME ALONE" ... where the innocent home-going family inform the police .. who turns out to be the main culprit .. ...
it is true that we brag and write all about ourselves, our surroundings, our habits, sitting all alone before the computer. It is like cats, closing eyes and drinking milk. ... we don't consider how prone we are .. by our words and chat.
particularly those elderly, like you, my friend. .. BUT, rest assured. you will be all safe and comfortable.
these days, there are increasing articles about the negativity spread through FACEBOOK. ...
@consultrainer (4991)
• India
4 Aug 10
that is very reassuring. but, i presume that you have to notify your local POLICE about your home being locked? .. is there such obligation in the USA? .. we don't bother with such formalities in INDIA. ..
do you use facebook? .. are you active? .. if you see, there are a lot of topics around us, concerning the closure of FB accounts. ..
FB is now synonymous to FBI .. false information bureau
@consultrainer (4991)
• India
4 Aug 10
we just read in the news some days back, that a security expert has HACKED all the accounts and posted them online, .. the information that is supposedly secret to one's own self and friends.. on FB.. did you read about that.
I have my friends who post all their personal photos too ... on facebook. But, I wrote to them not to go ahead with such uploads.
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
4 Aug 10
I'm in the UK but we don't have to inform the police if we are away all though you can do, not that they would bother that much - not when there are motorists for easy targets!!!!
I do not use Facebook as much as I did, I closed my original account and reopened one for family and close friends only
I don't think a lot of people consider this- second nature to me due to my job: but not to everyone. And, of course, because I think like it I presume that everyone else does!
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
4 Aug 10
This has been one of my primary concerns for not even joining facebook. I did have someone scolding me for telling people on here that we would be gone, or that I would be gone. However, many people do not realize that there is always someone here, and people come and go almost 24/7. We are not a good target. I still do not want anyone to try.
@hvedra (1619)
•
4 Aug 10
It's quite interesting and I wonder why it hasn't been thought of before. You can restrict your updates to friends only but a lot of people don't.
There was a case a few years back where a taxi firm was also breaking into people's houses because they knew they were out of the house - for determined criminals there are plenty of ways to find out whether someone is away.
The problem is not the social networking sites, or the insurance companies but the criminals and the society that breeds them. Just today there was an article in the Daily Heil about a young burglar who had commited 700 robberies but has only just been jailed (he'd been prosecuted before but the sentences were not custodial). Not much of a deterrant!
@aevans (255)
• Malaysia
5 Aug 10
Wow, I never thought about that. But I always am being careful in posting any stuff on the social networking sites. I seldom share something personal or privacy on the internet, I feel that is insecure for showing something to the whole world. For sure there will be some people trying to set a trap or scam by just reviewing our activities in those social networking sites. I will beware of this. Thanks for sharing.
@consultrainer (4991)
• India
4 Aug 10
but, the knowledge and awakening came to some people late. and, it is not so assuring! ... what all we write online, even the emails that we send with the scramblers, and protected by passwords.. are PUBLIC property. Any simple hacker can open the can of worms.
@cryw0lf (1302)
• United Kingdom
4 Aug 10
It does indeed but then I look at it from the fact that it wouldn't really be a social networking site if we didn't post anything up. Sure there's certain things to keep quiet, and personally I don't post anything up that could incriminate me (basically drop me in anything, like an opinion about a 'friend' or something).
You just have to be careful on what you say, and have a some-what moderate privacy settings in place.
@attente (986)
• Philippines
4 Aug 10
We really have to be careful with what we are posting and with who we are adding in facebook. there are lots of posers in facebook, pretending to be someone who they are not. moreover, have heard terrible news about facebook, a girl was raped by a guy she just met in facebook. awful! tsk tsk tsk. so be careful, have some privacy. :)
@santosmarichris (1849)
• Philippines
4 Aug 10
Hi! I think it's scary. That's why I just recently cleared my facebook and fixed it's privacy settings. I also took out all the pictures I have there. It is just not safe. I also did the same thing in my yahoo email, cleared all my contacts, after reading an email, I delete it at ones and I don't save info there. You must have known what had happen to my paypal. 
And I heard there's a lot of virus circulating yahoo mail. Thank you for sharing! We must all be careful specially when it concerns our security.
And I heard there's a lot of virus circulating yahoo mail. Thank you for sharing! We must all be careful specially when it concerns our security. @Desiwezi (4)
• United States
4 Aug 10
I have had some family members tel me to be careful what I put on facebook, mostly about personal stuff that goes on in my relationships and whatnot. I do occasionally tell where i'm going if i'm running errands, or going out of town, but the only people that would know where I live is my friends(facebook friends) if I give them my home adress, which, in actuality, they all don't know where i live.
So unless they know about some riches that I have (that I don't even know about), and look up my adress online, it doesn't matter that I put i'm going to the post office in my facebook status. Heck, i'm always home anyway, so no one would have a chance to try and rob me. They would be very disappointed to try to get something from me anyway, cause i'm broke! But I totally understand your concern in all this.
We all need to be careful what we put on the internet. I try to edit myself all the time. People could take things the wrong way, and it could get you into some serious trouble.
