Photo courtesy of Instagram/@lyNYON

Last year Conde Nast created a social media ruckus when it published a report indicating that more people die from taking selfies every year than they do from shark attacks. Although there have been many subsequent conversations defining “cause of death,” the point is that plenty of people take crazy risks in search of the perfect Instagram photo.

But it turns out that participating in risky behaviours in search of Insta-fame, is just one of the dangers faced by social media-posting travellers. According to Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, cybercriminals are trolling social media sites to find potential victims' homes that are ripe for a burglary.

"Although it can be so much fun to share our travel experiences with others, oversharing is a trend that can potentially put the safety of your home at risk," said Patrizia D'Ignazio, Allstate Agency Manager. "Allstate Insurance would like to remind (Canadians) to think twice before announcing their travel plans online in advance, or during their trip."

The real-world geographic location of items like your mobile phone or personal computer can often be blamed for break-ins. Also, Google Street View is rapidly becoming a tool used for planning burglaries. Most people don’t even realize how many personal details like their workplace location, friends, vacation schedules and even home addresses are easily discernable from their social media posts.

A survey done by the Allstate office in Quebec found that 23 per cent of polled Quebecers posted information indicating that they were away from home. More than half, (52 per cent) of the 18 to 24 age group shared that they were travelling, while 43 per cent in the 25 to 34 age group shared that same info.

Allstate reminds people that taking basic precautions like having your mail and newspaper temporarily stopped or installing an automated lighting system could be a wasted effort if you plan to announce to the world that you are away from home on vacation.

"When making travel plans, remembering to lock the front door and turn on the alarm system — if you have one — is one thing, but oversharing on your social media pages without the necessary precautions is to be avoided,'' said Francisco Randez, TV and radio host, social media and travel expert.

For example, a whopping 60 per cent of men and 51 per cent of women say they do not always deactivate geolocation on their mobile device while travelling.

''Travelers may be excited to post a countdown leading up to a trip or getaway or that they are en route or have arrived at their destination, but they need to be mindful of what, when and how they share online,'' added Randez.

Furthermore, what children are posting can also cause potential harm. Almost half of the poll respondents (43 per cent) say they have children with active social media accounts, but one third of parents (33 per cent) said they do not monitor what their children post on social media.

But, says Allstate, you don't have to stop sharing, just be mindful of how and what you share.

Safety Tips

To help protect travelers, Allstate Insurance partnered with Francisco Randez, TV and radio host and travel expert, to offer some topline safety tips.

• Do not publish your departure dates on social media and remind your children to not post that info either. Even if you are careful, your friends might have less rigid security settings than you do.

• Check your privacy and security settings and set them to the highest possible level. Only allow “friends” rather than "everybody" or "friends of friends" to see your holiday posts.

• Before posting pictures, carefully consider if they reveal too much information.

• Avoid geotagging your photos. This is often an automatic feature, so be sure to turn it off. Geotagging can reveal that you are far away and make your home a target.

• Teach your children and other family members to be careful online.

• Consider saving your photos for posting once you return home instead of throughout the trip, making it clear you are back home.

To learn more about Allstate Canada, visit www.allstate.ca and for more safety tips, visit www.goodhandsadvice.ca.

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