Four tips to prevent home burglary while traveling this holiday season

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Along with retail, the “business” of burglary also picks up during the holiday season.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Along with retail, the “business” of burglary also picks up during the holiday season. Burglars know they are likely to find easy targets as people head over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house. Here are a few simple tips to keep your house from looking like the Grinch has visited in your absence:

1) Get rid of the obvious signs you are gone. Stop that mail, even if just for a few days. Arrange for snow removal in northern climes. That lovely white blanket without a single footprint is a welcome mat for a professional thief.

2) Make your home look occupied. A light on a time timer is a great first step. Higher tech and more convincing is FakeTV. FakeTV makes it look like you stayed home to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

3) The best burglar deterrent is getting to know your neighbors. What better time than now to spread some holiday cheer? It might even help to ensure your presents remain under your tree!

4) This may really pain you, but be careful about posting your vacation status on social networking sites. You do not know where that information will end up. There have been many cases of burglars using Facebook to plan their heists. If you cannot resist posting photos during your vacation, you can at least avoid revealing your return date.

Heard most of these tips before? Fine, but take action. About one in fifty homes in the US will have a break-in each year. Take these simple precautions to make sure your home is not the most tempting target on the block. A little vigilance up front can give you peace of mind, so you will enjoy your time with Grandma that much more.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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