With holiday bookings booming following the restrictions of the last two years being lifted, many people are looking forward to getting away this Spring.
For those staying closer to home, scrolling through social media to see beautiful posts of far-flung places gives us ideas of where to visit in the future or simply allows us to just dream of being away. According to content marketing agency convinceandconvert.com , “social media traffic spikes a whopping 73 percent during the holidays”. This isn’t just more people posting, but more people following.
#holidays
Unfortunately, travel posts can attract the unwanted scrutiny of criminals who trawl social media to identify when luxury homes might be unoccupied.
Have you ever posted a picture of your latest designer acquisition, joining other luxury items in your wardrobe? If you then post a picture from the airport’s VIP lounge, sharing your excitement about getting away, a burglar may well seize the moment. The first post has provided precise information on what you have in your home and where it is kept, the second alerts criminals that your home may be empty – and, if you add the duration of your holiday, you are also letting them know how long they have to commit a crime.
At Smith Greenfield, we want our clients and their families to have peace of mind and sit back and enjoy their holidays, homes and valuables. However, we also want them to be aware of the security pitfalls associated with social media when at home or abroad. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advises that we should all have a greater understanding of our digital footprint and exercise some caution when using social media. It reminds us that our footprint is anything you publish online – photos, status, re-posts, thoughts. Criminals can use this publicly available information to steal your identity, make phishing messages more convincing or simply find out when you are not at your property
#safety
Not everyone using social media is necessarily who they say they are. Take a moment to check if you know the person you connect with – are they a proper friend, genuine link or follower?
Social Media scenarios to avoid include excessive Holiday Posts and any Insta-bragging that advertises the fact that you have a new home, high value car or an exciting new purchase. Whilst TikTok is now sometimes used to help sell luxury homes in the US, new home owners can now be seen posting their new home purchases on TikTok. Some show the house name or street and even pictures of keys. A good locksmith is able replicate some types of keys from a photo. This gives burglars easy access to a property, without even having to break in!
Getting Secure on Social Media
The higher your profile, the greater the risk to your security. As specialists in providing insurance and risk management for luxury lifestyles, we have some key advice for you and your family to follow when using social media:
– Set To Private
According to the ICO only 25% of users have their social media channels set to private. Change any social media accounts to private and target posts specifically to your friends or a select audience. In this way, only people you trust can see your content, rather than advertising your posts to potential thieves.
– Decline Requests
Once your profile is private, do not accept any friend requests from people you don’t directly know or trust. If you don’t have close contact with someone that you know of, don’t accept their requests. It may give them your address, phone number or enough information to break into your home.
– Geo Tagging
Turn off the GPS tracking facility for each social media app when you leave the house. This means you won’t be tempted to tag yourself at any locations and burglars won’t be able see if you’re on holiday or away from home.
– Consider Your Content
Only post what your followers and friends need to know and exclude unnecessary detail that could be useful for a criminal
– Post In The Future
When posting an image of yourself travelling or away, do it when you’re back at home. Pin your favourite shots to publish later.
– Close-Ups
When posting an image of a new purchase or home, use a close-up or simply capture a small part of it. This means you won’t be giving a clear indication of your belongings or your property layout. Cryptic content will discourage burglars. They want more certainty.
Adopting these simple measures when using social media will help reduce the security risk to your home and valuables when you are away from home or on holiday.
Smith Greenfield provides bespoke insurance for exclusive lifestyles and collectors of valuable objects including: higher value home insurance, art insurance, antiques insurance, watch insurance, jewellery insurance, vintage car insurance, fine wine insurance and more. To discuss specialist insurance for your home and lifestyle, please contact our Premier Client Adviser, Imran Moideen, via email imran.moideen@smithgreenfield.co.uk