STATS ON "SOCIAL MEDIA BURGLARIES"

[Pothole]

As above, does anyone have a source for any?

My google searching only brings up vague, unsubstantiated scaremongering, usually sponsored by insurance companies.

How prevalent is burglary/vehicle theft which directly results from people posting stuff on social media? Anyone?

[markjmd]

It's supposedly quite common, if you believe this article (based on a detailed survey, not hard statistics):
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/social-me...

[anonymous-user]

One is the issues you have is concluding that’s the cause i.e. they were burgled because they were away and this was known from social media.

I can’t imagine the police and other official ways of gathering crime data (crime survey of England and Wales) will record this, so reliable data will be hard to come by.

[Alucidnation]

Pardon?

Couldn't quite hear you.

[Bigends]

I doubt there will be any stats compiled. There have always been Burglaries to homes where occupants are on their hols, hence the old advice in years gone by to cancel milk, newspapers etc. Its possible Burglaries have occured at homes where families have posted pics of themselves on a beach abroad but there was never a searchable tick box on a crime report ' stating Occupants on holiday at time of offence'.

[Pothole]

markjmd said:

It's supposedly quite common, if you believe this article (based on a detailed survey, not hard statistics):
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/social-me...

8% from a survey of 2000 curtains customers is hardly "quite common" to my mind.

I guess I'm never going to really know.

[Graveworm]

When I posted on Myspace can someone look at my house because I am larging it in Ibiza, I had very few burglaries because i didn't tell anyone where I lived and it wasn't 2008.

[solo2]

I just don't understand why people post holiday photo's on social media whilst they are still away, or those that do the big count down to their holiday. Wait till you are back before posting all about it, it's too late then as your house is no longer unoccupied.

[Riley Blue]

Taking a taxi to the station with two suitcases labelled 'Cabin 407' is enough; that's how my parents' house got turned over.

[Drumroll]

Very rarely post about what I am planning on doing or where I am. Although having said that I have told people where I am this weekend to a closed group and the wife is still there (and the car). Sometimes, someone posts a picture of me at an event but that is in closed groups.

To be honest the biggest give away for most people not being at home is the lack of a car outside. A few houses near us park their caravans on the drive. No caravan is a fairly safe bet no one is home

[CzechItOut]

I work from home a couple of days a week and always try to have a walk around the block at lunchtime. You don't have to be a master criminal to work out which houses are empty - no cars on the drive, curtains open but no lights or activity, windows all shut (especially in the summer) and so on.

I think this whole "post on social media and get burgled" is just joyless hacks trying to undermine something people get some enjoyment from.

[Pothole]

solo2 said:

I just don't understand why people post holiday photo's on social media whilst they are still away, or those that do the big count down to their holiday. Wait till you are back before posting all about it, it's too late then as your house is no longer unoccupied.

Perhaps because they don't subscribe to the perceived, and in all likelihood invented, risk.

[Pothole]

Riley Blue said:

Taking a taxi to the station with two suitcases labelled 'Cabin 407' is enough; that's how my parents' house got turned over.

The burglars said that in interview, did they?

[Dan_1981]

I limit my exposure by not having burglars on my friends list.

[Pothole]

Dan_1981 said:

I limit my exposure by not having burglars on my friends list.

Me too. I've also gone one better and have very little of value in my house.

[anonymous-user]

Riley Blue said:

Taking a taxi to the station with two suitcases labelled 'Cabin 407' is enough; that's how my parents' house got turned over.

Well at least you had a suspect to go after..........

[Riley Blue]

Pothole said:

Riley Blue said:

Taking a taxi to the station with two suitcases labelled 'Cabin 407' is enough; that's how my parents' house got turned over.

The burglars said that in interview, did they?

Taxi driver admitted it during questioning.

[Roofless Toothless]

As an old boy who can remember when we all used to get our bottles of milk left on the step, we certainly did feel exposed to the honesty, or lack of it, of our milkmen at holiday time. I can also recall people advising never to tell the local bobby you would be going away for exactly the same reason.

If you need a taxi to the airport at stupid o'clock in the morning you are similarly compromised. I once sat next to Mrs Toothless in a taxi while she made an entirely fictional call 'back home' full of 'we didn't want to wake you up' and 'remember the window cleaner is coming on Tuesday' stuff to a non-existent family member back at the house.

[donkmeister]

solo2 said:

I just don't understand why people post holiday photo's on social media whilst they are still away, or those that do the big count down to their holiday. Wait till you are back before posting all about it, it's too late then as your house is no longer unoccupied.

I like it - I can't remember the last time someone tried to force their holiday pictures on me. Now I just get a drip feed of them, click "like" occasionally and after they get back the holiday conversation is a bit more interesting as I can picture what they're telling me about.

[Jasandjules]

If we are not there, at least two of the dogs still are...... Wish them luck trying and I am sure the doctors will be able to sew back up those who survive.