AIBU to think they are asking for trouble?

quizqueen - some of us use Instagram (and other social media) for work purposes as it gives clients ideas about what we are like and makes them feel more connected to our "brand".
Obviously this means we are extremely careful of the posts we make.
Regarding burglaries, we were once burgled on a Saturday night whilst asleep with all the family at home (7 people in all). They never came upstairs. It was lunchtime the next day before anyone noticed. They took only a bike, purses and golf clubs. They had tried to get in to next door first we believe and had tried the padlock on my son's motorbike.
I suppose if you have a busy house you don't notice noises in quite the same way as, say, we do now given that there are only two of us.

Even the lovely Jacob Rees Mogg was guilty of this by posting pictures of him and his family on holiday.

I was so shocked that he couldn't see what a bad idea that was. Predictably, vandals struck.

When our car was broken into in a crematorium car park, we were told by the police that these and cemeteries are easy prey for thieves.
When you are grieving and distracted it's the time to be most cautious.

Privacy setting on Facebook mean nothing, Every now and then it updates and sometimes undos the privacy. People (like myself) thought they had tight security on FB found they were being targeted by particular organisations/ adverts when they had had a private discussion on the topic. Then recently we discovered FB was collecting our personal data and selling it, and they could also reach other devices to gather friends through friends data.
I was robbed while on holiday by the daughter and boyfriend of the neighbour who was looking after my cats. The mother was called away on a family emergency and she asked the daughter to tend to the cats. I came home to find a family heirloom gone, plus many bits and pieces which apparently she sold at a car boot sale. A wrong 'un, no longer lives with her mother.

I don't have curtains but venetian blinds.
They are always on tilt so difficult to know whether the property is occupied or not.

Why oh Why do people broadcast that they are away on social media especially sites like Facebook?
The people that they Facebook may be "friends" but who on earth are these friends posting on too, and so on, and so on.
It is not rocket science.
Don't do it if you value the security of your home.

We usually have housesitters when we are away but it's rather stupid to announce you are going away on social media. Another thing I always think is rather daft is to clean your house throughly before you go away. Friends say that they have changed the beds cleaned everywhere so everything is sparkling. So if someone broke in I am sure they would know that they have plenty of time to search. I always left some things out on the worktop in the kitchen as though I have just been using it and some washing up in the sink. Surely most houses have signs they are being lived in normally and don't look like showhouses without a thing out of place

We were burgled while away celebrating our Golden Wedding. They even took our post which had our cards from the family. It must have taken them a bit of time to get in as they couldn't get through the back windows. So, they cut out the old glazed panel door to the kitchen. We had taken DH car keys (were using mine) however, had forgotten there was a spare set in an old briefcase, so his pride and joy complete with golf clubs in boot was stolen and not found for 4 months.

The police came very quickly - this was 9 years ago and had already found our TV, jewellery etc at a local dealers flat. It was the mess they left that upset me.

Our neighbours did not even notice gaping hole in kitchen door facing them

Love your idea Juliet27! That should mean my house is permanently protected.!
Seriously though I had an attempted break in when I was in. My car had just failed its MOT and gone to the great scrapyard in the sky and was yet to be replaced. I guess the burglar thought I was out as the car wasn't there! I heard a noise and went into the kitchen to investigate. With darkness outside all I could see was my own reflection in the french doors but the white handle moving up and down. I was scared witless but clearly so was the burglar(s) who scarpered leaving behind a spade with a broken corner which he/they had used to try to lever the door open.
I am the neighbourhood watch coordinator for my road and often get reminders from the police not to advertise our absence on social media. My experience would confirm that burglars do try to break in when they have reason to think the house is empty. I hope they were even half as unnerved by my appearance as I was by the awful experience.

No matter what precautions you take if a burglar is determined they will get in. Have an alarm, bump proof locks but still do not think of being burglar proof.

The Travel Agents !

Hence all the information.

I happen to go in our local travel agents with my mum a few months ago (my mum was inquiring and booking a little holiday) been n gone now.

But whilst I was sat there twiddling my thumbs I started to browse the brochures etc , someone did come up to me to ask if they could help "No thanks Im just browsing at the mo" but in that time (around 20 mins) I could here enough information from others , that was a bit scary.

Not sure how this could be overcome as most travel agents are pretty small offices and there is no privacy what so ever.

Unless fb has changed very recently, privacy settings are not as private as users often think. A simple like or comment from anyone and your post becomes available to all their friends. Is this still the case? Hopefully they've tightened this up and I'm wrong.

Give me about 15/.20 mins just mooching and browsing and I will know.

Where your going!
When your going!
What time your taxi is!
How long your going for!
Your address!
Your d.o.b.
Who's going and their d.o.b!
How much deposit your paying!
Then at the end ..everything confirmed!

So......... "Where am I " ??

Like quizqueen we always have house sitters when we go away.
For one house sitter it is a career. They pet-sit and house sit for a small fee.
I need someone to water the tomatoes.

A decent alarm, a big dog and light timers that come on and go off at random.

Advice from an ex Met Police sergeant I know!

chrissyh I mentioned that in my OP!! That was what made me think about it , the letter from the insurance company

I think it’s difficult, but we or people we know have tried:

1. Not using real names on Facebook, and only posting on Facebook after a holiday, plus using the highest privacy settings on Facebook.
2. Getting taxi before holidays from a neighbour so it looks as though there are a lot of people left behind in the house.
3. Burglars in one area climbing on garden furniture to the first floor window, as most people don’t bother with their alarm on the first floor. The burglars seem to be young, fit and healthy and get over even 6 ft garden or side walls with ease.
4. Living next door to people who are careless with security so that the burglars take the easy option!
5. One chap we know was burgled from his bedroom while he was asleep and since then has the bedroom door and windows very firmly bolted when he is asleep. Very claustrophobic in my view.

And yes, I completely agree we don’t need to add to the risks by advertising that we are away and our house is empty!

?

DD1 and family are on holiday in Canada. DGS started a blog before they left to which only family have access so we have seen some fantastic photos and no insecurity

The only time we took a taxi to go away on holiday, we were burgled on the night we left. We had left someone in the house but they'd gone out for the evening and he came back and started tidying up, wondering why we had left such a mess, until he realised that the video player was gone. This was long before social media so it just goes to show that there are many ways to advertise your absence! I am very careful now and only post pictures of my holiday to friends after I am already there. We try to leave somebody at the house or have somebody go in a couple of times a day to switch lights on and off when they feed the cats.

I don't understand why people post on social media about their life at all! I always have house sitters for pets while I am away anyway but I also have nothing worth stealing either.

Something not mentioned is that insurers may not pay out if you have been advertising your absence on holiday on social media. This is because most insurers have a 'reasonable care' clause in contracts so firms don't have to offer up cash if they can prove people weren't careful enough in protecting their possessions.

If I mention we will be away I always say my son remnains behind to work.

He would be as much use as a cholate teapot in a break in as he sleep so soundly and for much of the day at the weekend. But Burglar Bill doesn't know that.

Also, taking a taxi from your house to the airport, train station etc. can be a risk, think about it!

grandetante funnily enough today I walked past a house where someone had stuck a note on the front door saying to the expected courier 'we are not at home, please leave over the side gate'. Very odd

I like to share holiday photos (a few not the whole shebang) on facebook but only ever do so when I am home again

I agree that burglaries can happen any time whether you are in or not but I do think it's extremely foolish to basically advertise that your property will be empty for a certain amount of time

Your house dosen't need to be empty for burglars to cone in.
We were raided whilst DH was in bed from night shift. The cheeky bugger even went in our room and stole my jewelery box whist DH snored !! (he was used to noises around the house)
He was caught imprisoned and offended again 2 wks after release. Sadly nothing was recovered.