Burglars and Social Media – Are You In Danger?

It seems harmless enough. You are about to go out with a friend for the evening, and before you go, you post a quick status update on Facebook. We’ve all done it.

But that quick status update could result in a burglary. That’s what happened to Keri McMullen, according to this report from CNN News.

Kerri was heading out to watch a show with her fiancé and posted her plans as a status update to Facebook. However, one of her Facebook friends decided that Kerri’s evening out was a perfect opportunity to burglarize her home.

Sadly, Kerri made it easy for him. He knew when she was leaving and had a pretty good idea of how long he had before she returned home. By the time he and his fellow burglar finished, they took more than $11,000 worth of valuables.

This story has a positive twist though. The reason Kerri was able to identify the burglar is because she had installed security cameras in her house. The security camera provided an image recognized by others, and police were able to positively identify him.

Click the video to watch the report from CNN:

Let Kerri’s story be a warning for you. Use social media with caution. Here are a few statistics from the Prince William Virginia Police Department about how burglars use social media:

Over 75% of convicted burglars believe that other burglars are using social media to find targets.
Google Streetview is one of the most used tools of thieves, allowing them to case out likely-looking homes in complete safety.
Social media tells potential burglars what you have, where you live and how long you are likely to be away from the property.

Please use social media safely. Think before you post, and make sure your profile is set to be viewed only by people whom you can trust.

It is also a good idea to install video security cameras, just like Kerri did. At Best Security Products, we can install and maintain your custom video surveillance system.