Here at SIAC, we’ve made the point about the value of social media, and how it can help us expand our message. For electronic security companies, social media provides marketing and sales opportunities.
But like any new tool, there are potential downsides. In a recent case in Australia, a teenager posted a photo of money on Facebook. Burglars saw the page, and later broke in and stole the cash. The teenager had been helping her grandmother count her cash savings, when she decided to snap the photo and post it to Facebook, according to news accounts.
It seems clear cut that you shouldn’t take pictures of cash or valuables and then put them up in a public place (like Facebook or other social media sites) where someone can track you down. Since this happened though, it bears a reminder: Be smart about how you use social media.
Criminals have access to these tools just like most good citizens. Burglars look for ways to break-in or for easy pickings. If you put up your name, location and show some cash is laying around, you’re setting yourself up for a potential break-in.
SIAC urges you to use good judgment on what you post to social media sites. If you think it could prove dangerous for you, your family or your business, then it probably will be, and you shouldn’t put it up. Take an extra minute to think before you post.
For more tips on crime prevention, go to our Web site, www.siacinc.org, and scroll down the left side to “General Public.”