TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The holidays can be a favorite time of year for criminals.
That’s because of the extra items you might have in your house.
Sergeant Joe Watts with Indiana State Police says it’s a time to be extra cautious.
“This time of year thieves seem to know that people are going to be gone for Christmas holidays, extended periods of time if you will,” Watts said. “They know there’s going to be a lot of presents in the home. They know there’s going to be a lot of gifts in and around the home.”
Another big tipoff for thieves is if you post about being gone on social media.
Watts says it can be very easy for them to find out despite what kind of privacy settings you have.
“You never know when somebody may share your post if you will,” Watts said. “You may not know when somebody looks at your post and inadvertently talks to someone or maybe another person next to them may be a burglar or a thief.”
There’s no question about it posting an image of your trip can be tempting.
However, Watts says it might be in your best interest to save those vacation pictures to post until you’ve returned home.
“Wait until you get home to brag,” Watts said. “Say hey, I took a trip on this date and time and this is what we saw and so on and so forth.”
Watts adds that if criminals know you’re not home there’s more incentive for somebody to break in.
“If they know that you’re going to be gone, they’ll expend an extra amount of time trying to get in because they know they have the time to do it,” Watts said. “Once inside the home instead of fast grabbing things that are in quick, plain view, if they know that you’re going to be gone they’re going to go through everything in your home.”
So before you post, you might want to think twice.
Because after all you don’t want a Grinch running away with your holiday cheer.
Watts says you might want to think about in home video equipment or an alarm system to help monitor your home.
