Plan your posts carefully this holiday season
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Many of us may be planning a trip for the holidays but it might be a good idea to keep our plans to ourselves.
“We don’t recommend advertising on social media,” Sergeant Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said.
Easily sharing exciting news is one of the things we all love about posting to our social media accounts. But sharing when your house will be empty this holiday season may not be the safest choice. Sergeant Lovell says there are some people who may use posts like this to take advantage of us.
“There are people that look for those opportunities to find empty residences to go in and then commit theft or do whatever,” Sergeant Lovell said.
Sergeant Lovell says it is never a good idea to post where you are going or when you will be back. This lets everyone know when your house will be empty-and easier to break into. He also says to never leave your residence unattended.
“We highly recommend making sure everything’s secure. If you have a neighbor or someone you can trust, they can look in on things, and calling in if you see suspicious activity,” Sergeant Lovell said.
Investing in a doorbell camera system is a great way to look after yourself, your property, and your neighbors. Leaving your lights on whenever you are away from your home is also a good idea.
“Our criminals tend to not want to work in the light,” Sergeant Lovell said. “So if you’ve got good lighting on the outside of your house, that tends to be a deterrent to a lot of our criminals.”
Sergeant Lovell says scammers and hackers have ways of publicizing your personal information. Information you share, thinking it is totally secure, may not be. And there are various ways this information can leak to the wrong hands.
“You just need to be cognizant of what you’re putting out there on social media, and in what you’re saying about your travels, where you’re at, and where you live, and things like that,” Sergeant Lovell said.
