Is Your Social Media Chatter Putting Your Home at Risk?

Sharing too much on your social media profiles can put your home and loved ones’ safety at risk. Even those posts and shares that seem harmless can unintentionally provide potential burglars with information they need to make you a target. So, before you post, make sure you are not putting your home at risk.

Top 6 Social Media Posts You Should Not Share

Before you make your next Tweet, post or Facebook share, consider these 6 things you should never announce on social media:

  • Countdown to Your Next Vacation – Are you doing a countdown on your social media page letting everyone know that you will be leaving soon? Doing so lets followers and potential burglars know that you will be gone for an extended period of time.
  • Checking In – Check-ins are the latest “thing” on social media, but they also tell people that you are away from your house. If you tag friends away with you, you are putting their home at risk too.
  • Property Damage – Do you have a broken window? Sharing a picture of your home on social media lets potential burglars know a potential weakness in your home’s security.
  • Layouts – Sharing photographs of the inside of your home gives burglars a preview of the valuables you have inside and gives them a potential blueprint for navigating your house.
  • Holidays – Just like sharing vacation plans, never share your holiday plans. Because burglars are on the lookout for empty houses during the holidays, you do not need to let them know you will be away.
  • RSVPs – Social media has opened the door to online invites. Unfortunately, there are people outside of your social circle that may be part of that online group. If you RSVP, a potential burglar scouting the group will know that you will be away, and they even know the exact dates and times.

Not sharing valuable information online is your first level of defense. Second is installing a home security system. Brinton Security can help you find the right home security system to keep you safe, and we offer free in-home estimates.

Call Brinton Security – the experts in home security systems today! (800) 747-9399.

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Remember These Internet Safety Tips for Families

The internet is part of our everyday lives and offers a lot of benefits, but it can also be incredibly dangerous. While your children are online doing homework or using social media, there are criminals lurking to steal personal information—or worse.  If you have children that use the internet, the rules you establish for going online not only positively impact their online experience, it positively impacts their safety and that of the family. Talk to your family about these internet safety tips.

For Parents

Keeping your family safe online means being proactive. Take an active role in how the computer and other devices with online access are used in your home. Establish family guidelines about internet safety and make it a regular part of family conversation. Here are some important tips for parents.

  •         Always install and use internet filters and permission programs to make inappropriate sites off-limits.
  •         Use parental alerts.
  •         Install file sharing programs correctly and activate setting so nothing private is shared.
  •         Have them use the computer and other internet devices in communal parts of the home, instead of in their room with the door shut.
  •         Take all incidents of bullying seriously.
  •         Always report suspicious activity, or online threats of self-harm.
  •         Check browser history.

Establish family guidelines about internet safety and make it a regular part of family conversation.

For Children and Teens

Having an established set of rules helps keep everyone safe. Here are some important tips to discuss with your family.

  •         Never use personal information such as name or birthdate to create screen names.
  •         Use generic names instead of ones that identify whether you are male or female.
  •         Always choose complex passwords and never share them.
  •         Do not use secret online email or social media accounts.
  •         Never give personal information such as your name, address, or name of your school or places you frequent.
  •         Never agree to send photos to someone you met online.
  •         Do not send pictures of friends, family members, or pictures where the background can help someone locate you.
  •         Never agree to meet anyone in person whom you have met online. Ever.
  •         If something does not feel right, tell your parents.
  •         Always tell your parents immediately if someone sends an inappropriate, explicit, or threatening message.
  •         Never reply to text, email, or pop-up messages asking for personal or financial information and do not follow links in those messages.
  •         Be cautious about opening attachments, regardless of who sent them.
  •         Talk to your parents before P2P file sharing.
  •         Check with your parents before installing any “free” games or software.
  •         Never download anything without parental consent.
  •         Never buy anything online without permission.
  •         Never send messages that will make someone feel sad, scared, threatened, or could be considered mean spirited.
  •         Never argue with someone over the internet.
  •         Tell your parents immediately about any incidents of bullying.

About Brinton Security

From an initial consultation and installation to ongoing monitoring and service, Brinton Security is dedicated to the safety of you, your family, and your home.

 

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Do Burglars Always Return to the Scene of the Crime?

If the common plot perpetrated on tv crime dramas and movies hold any truth, burglars always return to the scene of the crime. But does the story hold true in real life or is it just an urban myth?

Yes, Burglars Do Return

It might seem counter intuitive but statistics show that burglars do indeed return, and not only that- they are likely to return for your neighbor’s stuff, too. According to the Police Foundation, burglars very often do come back and once a burglary occurs, houses in the neighborhood are also at a much higher risk of burglary over the next two weeks.  Usually, the crime is committed by the same person, but not always. In some cases, your home may be burgled again because a different criminal finds the home attractive for the same reasons, such as a lack of lighting and no visible signs of having a security alarm system.

Why Do Burglars Return?

It might seem like a waste of time for a burglar to come back after they have already cleaned out your house, but there are some logical reasons why they return.

  • They know your security measures. Once in your home, the burglar knows all of your security measures or lack of them, and know the level of difficulty in gaining entranced to your home.
  • They are familiar with the layout of your home. Knowing the layout of your home is a huge advantage because it saves them time the nest time they attempt to burglarize your home.
  • They found a way to make it easier for themselves. While in your hoe the first time, they may have found a way to make it easier to get in the second time, such as taking a spare key or unlocking the most forgotten window.
  • You have probably replaced valuable items. Burglars often wait 6 to 8 weeks to return. This gives you enough time to make an insurance claim and then replace the essential items. If the items were costly, the burglar assumes you will replaced it with and an equally expensive item.
  • You are not expecting it. A burglar knows that after a burglary you are off kilter, emotionally vulnerable, and not expecting them to come again any time soon.
  • They found a buyer. There may be items the burglar could not take at the time, but made note of it. Once they find a buyer, they come back for the goods.

Make Sure You’re Ready

If you have been burglarized, you know just how cunning thieves can be, and just how important it is to invest in home security. Talk to a home security expert and find out how to reduce your home’s vulnerabilities and which home security technologies would be most beneficial. Features such as a monitored security alarm system, smart locks, video surveillance, and home automation can decrease the likelihood of being burglarized. Polled thieves report that they are far less likely to target a home with visible security.

Security that outsmarts the criminals. Service that outshines competitors. Brinton Security.

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Why Hiding Your Money May Not Be as Smart as You Think

If we think we have burglary figured out, we probably have it all wrong. In our quest to protect our family, home and possessions we do all that we think is the right and smart thing to do. The problem is, we might be getting it all wrong. Here are the ways some common misconceptions might actually make your home more vulnerable, and what you can do about it.

Does Hiding Your Valuables Really Work?

If you are like most of us, you’ve probably read many articles about where to hide your valuables. You have your coin collection wrapped in foil in the freezer right next to grandma’s jewelry. You have some valuables stashed in the toilet tank, in the kid’s room, and in the cat litter container. The problem is that the burglars have read the articles, too, and knows where valuables are most likely to be found. So, in some ways you might actually be making it easier for a burglar to get the goods.

Best Bet : If you have seldom used valuables and heirlooms rather than hide them in the home, get a safety deposit box and let the bank guard them.

Nothing Really Deters a Determined Burglar, Right?

Burglars want to get valuables and do it fast without being observed and caught. To do this they want to gain entry in the fastest and easiest way possible- usually within 60 seconds and through the front door. And there must be plenty of vulnerable homes because a burglary happens about every 15 seconds somewhere in the US. Does that mean that nothing really stops them? No. It means many of us are not implementing the deterrents that do work. Here are several affordable, easy, and effective deterrents.

  • Home Security Systems. When committed thieves were polled, most said they would avoid a home with a home security system. In fact, homes without a monitored home security system are three times more likely to be burglarized than those with a home security system.
  • Use Home Automation. Since burglars want to go undetected, they choose homes that are unoccupied. By using home automation to look and sound home you make your home an unattractive target.
  • Security Camera. Install ample security cameras to cover the areas of vulnerability. Use a video doorbell for the front door and cover the back door, windows, and garage, as well as having the interior of the home covered by smart security cameras.
  • Motion Sensored Lights. Smart lighting is a big problem for burglars because not only does it expose them, they can trip an alert that goes right to your phone so you know something is not right.
  • Cars in the Driveway. If you have more than one vehicle, rotate which you use and leave one in the driveway when you are gone for the day. Doing this, and when paired with using home automation to fake occupancy, the potential burglar finds your property to be too risky.
  • Schedule Services During Most Vulnerable Hours. If you have home services such as yard care, pool cleaners, or window washers schedule their visits during the most vulnerable hours of the day, from 10am to 3pm, when most residents are away.
  • Beware of Dog Signs. Burglars pay attention to the more than average “beware of dog” signs such as ones saying things like “My dog can make it to the fence in 3 seconds. Can you?” If you do not have a big scary dog, you can use the sign and put out a dog dish to seem like you do.

Brinton Security proudly provides smart security in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and KaKansas to keep you connected to what matters.

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