Legal & General have written several articles recently about how social media helps burglars.

Among other things, they looked at the number of young people posting photographs of valuable purchases on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and also at how many people will accept social media connections and friend requests from people they do not know.

The former was nearly half at 45% posting images and the latter just over half with 51% – from a group of all ages. Check out their Digital Criminal Report for more findings.

That’s an awful lot of strangers who can see when you check in at the gym every week at the same time. An awful lot of strangers who know that your house is empty and that you have a fancy new camera or tablet.

That’s an awful lot of strangers who can see your holiday snaps live from the Costa del Sol and who might want to go pay a visit to your empty home.

If there is an alarm system installed, as many as 9 out of 10 burglars will walk away. Don’t let your children’s online activities leave you vulnerable to attack.

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Here’s a great infographic that explains the problem more visually:

How Social Media Helps Burglars

How Burglars Are Using Using Social Media Infographic – An infographic by the team at Distinctive Doors

How Social Media Helps Burglars to Get Caught

Of course, social media can also help the police to catch burglars too.

Operation Withern allowed social media users to share CCTV images taken of thieves ransacking shops during the London Riots in 2011.

And who can forget those individuals who posted images of themselves and their swag on Facebook after those terrible days?

Many were apprehended by the Police as a direct result of their actions on social media.