We’ve talked before about how revealing your vacation plans on social networking sites is a bad idea, period. But now there’s even more reason to avoid letting the social media universe know you are away from home: a new website called PleaseRobMe.com that aggregates and publishes publicly shared location updates in real time for the online world to see. As we’ve said before, criminals use social media too and this new site could be their keys into thousands of American homes.
This new site paints a frightening picture of exactly who is away from home and their last reported location. Although the new site is meant to “shed more light on the dangerous side effects of location-sharing,” it has not stopped people who use sites like, Google Buzz, Foursquare and Twitter from giving would-be burglars a virtual roadmap to rob their homes.
Remember to always think twice before sending location updates and details to social media ‘friends,’ you never know who could be lurking online, looking for their next easy target.
To make your home less attractive to burglars, consider preventive measures such as a home security system to protect your home while you’re away.
*Content expressed in Home Security Source does not represent the thoughts and opinions of ADT Security Services, Inc. unless explicitly indicated.