Are you planning to travel at Thanksgiving or during the Christmas break? Remember, you should NEVER discuss or even mention your travel plans plans on social media web sites until you are back home from your trip. If you want to tell your friends about your trip to Acapulco or Paris on Facebook or Twitter, do it after you return, not before you go or while you are there! Professional burglars are constantly scouring the internet looking for houses to rob! No foolin.’ They really do that! Criminals have software that allow them to identify people who are traveling or who will be traveling soon and then identifying where they live. And Yes, people actually do get burglarized this way. Lots of people.  Also, remember that many burglars look for houses to rob the old-fashioned way, by driving around and looking for houses with obvious signs that nobody is home. (Did you see ‘Home Alone’?) Before you travel, arrange to have someone check your porch regularly for signs that nobody is there, like parcels sitting on the porch or an overstuffed mailbox.

(P.S. – If you did see ‘Home Alone’, remember that a 10 year old Macauley Culkin look-alike cannot protect your home from burglars.)