Posted by Shoshana/AZ on 3/28/10 9:23am
Msg #329300

OT: May I respectfully suggest that you

do not announce your vacations on this board. This is especially true if someone can find your address on the internet.
As a (former) New Yorker I can tell you that anyone can find your home and burglarize it while you are gone.

Reply by RJE/MI on 3/28/10 9:56am
Msg #329304

Great Reminder Shoshana, Thanks! n/m

Reply by cawest/PA on 3/28/10 10:17am
Msg #329306

oh my! Thank You very much!!!! I really never considered that I could be burglarized!

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 3/28/10 10:28am
Msg #329310

I read last year that a man announced his vacation on Facebook. When he came home, he found that there was a break in. He blamed Facebook!

Reply by CaliNotary on 3/28/10 1:49pm
Msg #329331

There's a website devoted to this

pleaserobme.com

They took the feature down, but a few weeks ago they had an ongoing live twitter feed from people sending tweets that they were at the gym, at a restaurant, getting their hair done, etc. Seeing a steady stream of people announcing that they weren't at home was pretty amusing. And it also, at least to me, showed how completely ridiculous Twitter really is. Just because we have the ability to share every mundane facet of our lives with the world, doesn't mean we actually should.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 3/28/10 10:31am
Msg #329311

Another tip

Don't put your home address on your luggage tag. Just include your name and phone number.
Many years ago a friend traveled from NY to CA. When she arrived in CA she noticed her luggage tag was missing. She didn't think anything of it. When she got back to NY, her house had been burglarized.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 3/28/10 10:38am
Msg #329312

Re: Another tip

Also, on your GPS don't put "Home" as a "point" - or call it something else.

if someone were to steal your GPS (our last one was stolen) then they can use the "Home" to know where you live.

Reply by oldhippie_IL on 3/28/10 10:40am
Msg #329313

Re: Another tip

Amazing! I never considered any of things. THANK YOU so much for sharing!! I do have "HOME" on my GPS, taking it off. I would love to hear more.

Reply by cawest/PA on 3/28/10 10:45am
Msg #329314

Re: Another tip

will change that as well in my GPS.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 3/28/10 12:01pm
Msg #329320

Re: Another tip

I've heard of this before and I suppose it would be an issue if you leave your GPS in your car. I always take mine inside with me and put the bracket and mount completely out of sight. Always. I like the "home" feature on my GPS and will keep using it. Someone could always break into your car and steal your garage door opener - they can find out where you live by looking at the vehicle registration in the glove box. There are a million ways people can get to you if you are not smart about how you conduct yourself. So many people leave valuables (such as a laptop) in their car in plain view. Additionally, most of the thefts from vehicles in my area occur because people simply did not lock their cars.

I've also heard that you shouldn't write your schedule on your home wall calendar, because someone could break into your house and find out what your schedule is. I just can't live my life in fear like that - I use my calendar.

Agree that you should never announce your vacation plans online, or perhaps even to friends via email. The fewer people that know, the better. You can always tell them what a fabulous time you had afterward.

Reply by cawest/PA on 3/28/10 10:47am
Msg #329315

Re: Another tip

That I have learned and when the airline company tells me I do not have a luggage tag on my suitcase well I tell them that the BIG PINK BOW should be enough!
Did they ever find the burglar? It must have been someone working in luggage handling!

Reply by MikeC/NY on 3/28/10 2:29pm
Msg #329338

Re: Another tip

Good idea, as long as you have an unpublished phone number or use a cell - it's easy to get an address from a phone number otherwise. Come to think of it, there are websites that will sell you the information for a cell or unpublished number, so maybe you should just stick to name...

Reply by Susan Fischer on 3/28/10 11:24am
Msg #329316

Here are some more tips:


· Have someone pick up unexpected parcels, advertisement fliers, and other telltale signs that nobody is home. Don't forget to stop mail and newspapers.

· Garbage cans and recycling bins that remain empty for weeks indicate an empty house, so have a neighbor use them occasionally and then drag them to the curb on trash day.

· Drawing the curtains closed telegraphs vacancy, but pulling sheers closed is an effective way to obscure windows without making the house appear to be unoccupied.

· When using electrical timing gadgets, don’t just set them to turn lights on and off but also have them operate radios and televisions.

· Put a padlock on the inside of the garage door so that it cannot be pried open from outside. Also turn the telephone ringers to silent mode.

· If vehicles are left behind, have someone use them once in a while so that they aren’t always parked in the driveway. When no cars are left behind, have a neighbor use the driveway so it looks like somebody is home.

· When homeowners are vacationing on holidays, chances are high that doctors are on vacation too, and the local veterinary clinic may be closed. Those who leave pets behind should get the phone number of a 24-hour emergency veterinary care and share it with neighbors and house sitters.

Reply by Grammyzoom on 3/28/10 11:39am
Msg #329319

Now this is great information!!

Considering my post in the previous discussion, this is a terrific discussion and makes this forum worthwhile. Thanks Shoshanna and others!

Reply by Linda Juenger on 3/28/10 12:44pm
Msg #329325

Re: Now this is great information!!

I have the police station address programmed as my Home in my GPS.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 3/28/10 2:02pm
Msg #329333

And *that* is a great idea, Linda. n/m

Reply by MikeC/NY on 3/28/10 2:45pm
Msg #329342

For those worried about privacy

I suggest you take a look at this gem I found on Snopes.com:

http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/spokeo.asp

I found two records for myself there - one from before I was divorced years ago, the other my current address. Both had not only the address, but also photos of the home. The current address had a Google aerial shot of the apartment with a helpful little marker pointing to my unit... $20 would buy more personal info about me, including credit info, photos of me, email address, phone number, etc.

Neither record is there anymore, as of yesterday.

Reply by Cam/CA on 3/28/10 4:25pm
Msg #329352

Re: For those worried about privacy

Can't get mine removed, keeps telling me "In order to prevent abuse, we must limit the frequency of privacy requests. Please try again later.
Government officials please use your [e-mail address] email address for priority processing."

Reply by MikeC/NY on 3/28/10 5:37pm
Msg #329356

Re: For those worried about privacy

The only "abuse" they're trying to limit is the abuse to their bottom line...

I was able to have my records removed quickly on Saturday morning, which is when the snopes.com article first appeared. I can only guess that what you're seeing is that, because of the article, a LOT of people attempted to have their records removed today. It's interesting that they are giving "priority" to anyone with a .gov email address - they probably don't want to tick off the feds....

I can only suggest that you keep trying, because if you can find you on their site, so can the rest of the world... It might be easier to get it done during the week than on the weekend, since there might be less traffic.

As far as I know, it is not illegal to either publish or sell info that is in public records, and all of the info they have is from public records and available to anyone who knows how to find it. Aggregating it all into one big sno-cone like they're doing - and then offering to sell additional info about you to anyone who wants it - definitely raises some privacy issues. I don't recall if there was any contact info listed on the site, but if there is I would call them first thing in the AM and complain loudly about not being able to have your personal info removed. A suggestion - not a threat - about filing a complaint with state and federal authorities about violation of your right to privacy might make them more willing to cooperate with you.

Good luck...

Reply by CopperheadVA on 3/28/10 6:34pm
Msg #329359

Re: For those worried about privacy

On the flip side, this is a great way to find a correct phone number for the borrower you are meeting with...

I had my records removed - thanks for the post!

Reply by LKT/CA on 3/28/10 5:27pm
Msg #329355

Great tips by everyone. GPS units have an optional security feature - I use mine. I programmed a pin # so when I turn on my GPS is asks for my four digit pin....it goes no further than that until I enter the pin. My GPS would be useless to a thief.

Let your local police dept know you are going on vacation - during each shift change and debriefing, the watch commander goes over the business of the day or previous shift, APBs and city crimes, they also go over the vacation list - officers know you are on vacation and will drive by as a courtesy, especially in the graveyard hours.