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I love social media. I have just posted the most beautiful pictures of my decorations and plans for the Christmas season on Facebook and Instagram. The lights and multiple trees are beautiful. Presents are wrapped and under the tree making the most beautiful pictures. The planned trip to Grandma’s house has been reported to all my friends. What could be more perfect! I have told the world how wonderful and beautiful my family’s Christmas will be. Everyone will “like” or comment on how lovely my house is and how talented I surely am! Can’t you just smell the wonderful cookies I baked? Life is so good! I love social media!!!
Well…the overworked police officer just left. What has happened to the beautiful trees and presents I posted yesterday on the internet? Who would do this to me, to my children and grandchildren? How did I get so unlucky? Why would someone break into our home and steal our Christmas, our joy and feelings of security? I feel totally violated. How could this happen??? I need to post my bad luck on social media so everyone can feel my pain!
Oh my, did I just say that? Did I just advertise to the world that we have great presents and that we won’t be home?! Why didn’t I just put a billboard out in my front yard telling the world that we have stuff…come and get it!!! I didn’t lock the door on theft; I opened it wide open and yelled “please, rob me!”
Did you know that one home is broken into every 14.6 seconds in the United States? Home break-ins are more common than you think and part of it could just actually be our own fault! On the average, a home burglary results in about $1,600 in loss. About 30% of all burglaries are classified as “unlawful entry”, meaning that the burglar was able to gain entry without using force (often through an unlocked door or window.) Nearly 66% of all burglaries are residential and of those, 62% occur during the daytime, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. About 30% of private homes have security systems. Homes without security systems are two to three time more likely to be broken into. And to add insult to injury, only about 13% of reported burglaries are solved by the police.
What does all this information tell you? Maybe we shouldn’t be posting all our information on social media?! Maybe we should protect our homes a little better. If that is what you were thinking, here are a few tips to protect your home:
- Home security systems deter thieves.
- Proper outside lighting – thieves may choose to bypass a well-lit home.
- Strong exterior doors – solid wood or metal provides stronger protection against break-ins.
- Block windows for the basement or locked window well covers – use these to keep thieves from seeing or entering your basement.
- Locks for pet doors – make sure your pet door isn’t a point of entry for a thief.
- Close curtains or blinds to prevent thieves from taking inventory of your personal belongings and seeing the home’s layout.
- Store ladders, tools and any other outside objects that can be used to assist in home entry in a locked area.
- Keep garage doors closed and locked.
- Don’t post the family name on the mailbox or on the house.
- Don’t talk about vacation plans in public areas such as the beauty shop, shopping mall, car rental office – or even on social media.
These are just a few home safety tips that can help protect what’s important to you. Oh, and by the way, posting pictures of all the great presents Santa left you on Christmas morning on social media is a great way to make your stuff someone else’s stuff when you go to Grandma’s house for Christmas lunch.
Be careful! Have a safe and sound Merry Christmas!
