We’ve all done it. Jetted of somewhere where the sun is shining and the cocktails are flowing… and then taken a quick selfie and uploaded it to social media.
But those innocent selfies we’re taking, they could be costly.
Broadcasting the fact you are on holiday could result in you coming home to find your house has been burgled.
According to The Financial Ombudsman, police and insurance companies see a link between social media posts and home robberies.
If you do come home to find your house has been broken in to, you may find that even though you have home insurance, your insurer won’t pay out. This is because insurers expect you to take ‘reasonable care’ in securing your possessions, which includes being discreet about any holidays.
The Financial Ombudsman explains this by saying: “If you wouldn’t put a poster up on your front lawn saying you’re going on holiday for a few weeks, then don’t post the same thing online with your home details to a bunch of strangers.”
Another reason that your insurer may not pay out after a burglary is if you have broken the rules of your contract, for example being on holiday for more than 28 days. If you have posted on social media that you are going on a two month trek, an insurance company might be able to see your post.
Though posting holiday snaps and updating your status on social media websites could result in you being the victim of robbery, it doesn’t automatically mean that your insurance policy is invalid.
If you think you have been treated unfairly by your insurer, then you can lodge a dispute with the Financial Ombudsman.
Here are some tips to safely use social media websites:
- Secure your profile
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter sometimes change their privacy settings so you should check your settings on a regular basis to make sure yours are up to date.
- Assess your friends list
Most of us have a huge bunch of ‘friends’ or ‘followers’ on these social media sites but in reality we only have a handful of close friends that we confide in. So why are we revealing our personal thoughts and sharing our activities with these people? Take time to go through your ‘friend list’ and if you think you don’t know them or don’t trust them – delete them.
- Remember location services
On smartphones, you are often asked to update your location. You might think nothing of it to update this, but when you use social media (and sometimes even sending a message), this location is shown. Letting all your ‘friends’ know exactly where you are.
- Assess the details
When signed up for social media sites you are often asked some personal details such as your date of birth. The more you reveal, the more you risk being a victim of fraud.
- Google yourself
If you are unsure how secure your social media profiles are, searching yourself on a search engine like Google will allow you to see what others can see.
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