Travel Securely - Part 3: Social Media
Social media keeps us in touch—but for criminals, it can be a goldmine. Burglars, scammers, organized crime, and identity thieves are weaponizing your travel photos, check-ins, and posts to exploit your pattern of life. A startling 74% of convicted burglars [1] confess they use social media and tools like Google Street View to scope target properties—a trend backed by real-world cases, such as criminals that monitored Facebook to burglarize homes while owners were away [2], celebrities that were burglarized while away on film promotions [3], and professional athletes exploited by a "crime tourism" ring [4].
The stakes are high, and are exponentially growing in the Digital Age: posting vacation snaps in real-time signals a vacant home—leading to a real spike in summer break-ins, which surge by around 11% in warmer months [5]. The NFL has even warned pro athletes, citing multiple burglaries of star homes tied to posts publicizing their schedules [6].
Here’s how to stay safe while traveling:
- Skip real-time updates: Leave posts for when you're back—otherwise, you're flashing a "House Unoccupied" sign.
- Scrub personal identifiers: Keep full names, birthdays, and braggy luxury items out of public view to thwart social engineering attempts.
- Use private mode: Share only with trusted friends and clean up your friends list regularly—strangers can bypass privacy filters.
- Disable location tags: Photos can include hidden GPS data—and that’s a roadmap straight to your door.
- Lock it down: Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication for every platform.
- Watch for unusual activity: Random friend requests or messages may be reconnaissance by criminals.
Think of your online presence like your home and valuables—protect it with the same vigilance.
For a customized travel security strategy before your next trip, contact our Scout Identity Management Team.