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#Burgled

How ‘insta-bragging’ could be making you a target for burglary

In an era where social media has become ingrained in the way we live our lives and people crave so-called social validation, we’re sharing so much detail that we’re making burglars’ jobs easier than ever. While once we were happy showing off the new car or latest fashion statements among our ‘real life’ social circles, now we can share them with the whole world with a range of tools to increase our reach way beyond those who actually follow us.

Instagram is all about showing off. The places we’re visiting, the food we’re eating, the people we’re with, the stuff we have, the look we’ve created etc. Hashtags and the tagging of locations, people, brands and celebrities help disseminate those photos far and wide.

Hashtags are a great tool for helping us discover content that we like but while you may be searching for news of Love Island or Kim Kardashian, burglars are using them to find out what you’ve got, where it is and when they can come and take it.

New research from Rias has discovered that the average Instagrammer has around 5 clues posted on their profile that could help a burglar target them. Hashtags are designed to facilitate searches so many thieves simply use keywords such as #new to discover your latest purchases and gifts: #newcar, #newphone, #newhandbag etc. Once they find that they can see your location tags, profile and photos to work out where you live what other lovely stuff you have and whether you’re away on holiday. What more do you need?

Let’s face it, unless you’re a social media ‘influencer’ or Kylie Jenner, there’s really no need to share quite so much of your life with the world. Perhaps cut back on the insta-bragging and tagging and consider the ways you’re making yourself vulnerable to thieves. Nobody likes a show off anyway.

If you really do need to share news of your new designer gear or jewellery, perhaps invest in some good locks, a burglar alarm and CCTV as well #justsaying