Halloween has come and gone, kick-starting the end-of-the-year holiday seasons.
With that, gifts are being spread around to celebrate families coming together for the season. This brings an added layer of risks to the individual person and their belongings, thus requiring a new layer of security needed for yourself and the things that you have.
Consider the movie “Home Alone.” Had Kevin gone away with his family, the Wet Bandits (thieves) would have stolen all of the valuables from the empty home, and the family would have returned with so many important gifts stolen and a flooded home (they’re called the wet bandits because they turn on the sinks before they leave). This fictional holiday movie isn’t far from what can happen in real life, so I want to share some safety tips and how you can avoid something like this.
It is almost instinctual in a time of social media dependence to want to share your holiday plans online, but when you do that, you are revealing that your home is going to be empty, how far away you’re going and how long you’re going to be away.
You should also refrain from posting the things that you were gifted. For example, you should not post on Facebook a picture of a MacBook that you just opened. This advertises that you are in possession of a high-priced, valuable item. This could attract potential thieves.
Don’t leave any valuables in your car this holiday season, either. Nothing is inherently safe, however, leaving things like your MacBook, iPad, and expensive items in general in your car can be an incentive for someone to break in and steal it.
These tips can be important in every-day life, but during the holidays, it’s so important to remember that everything you post isn’t private, and you are not exempt from being a victim of theft this holiday season.
