Holiday sat-nav can be ‘invitation to burglars’

YOUR satellite navigation system could turn into an open invitation to the burgling fraternity, according to a Huntingdon insurance agent.

In addition to the usual warnings about stopping milk and paper deliveries, hiding valuables and setting intruder alarms, modern technology has introduced new perils to the chances of returning from holiday to a ransacked home.

Coversure (Huntingdon) boss Ross Wilkes warns of the combination of too much information on social networking sites and too much detail in the sat-nav.

“Telling all your friends and family that you are excited about your holiday (for example by saying ‘Only seven days to go until Simon and I are in sunny Gran Canaria’) could give an opportunist burglar viewing your profile all the information they need,” Mr Wilkes said.

“Twitter even allows you to geo-tag your Tweets, meaning that the exact longitude and latitude details of your location are posted along with your Tweets. This feature is easily deactivated by simply un-checking the box alongside the option in your account settings. However many people do not even realize the setting exists.”

And he suggests changing the home address in the sat-nav to that of the nearest police station.

“You would suspect that most people should be able to find their way home from there. If your sat-nav is stolen while you are on holiday, the thief has not only got an expensive and easily saleable item but also the knowledge that you’re on holiday, your home address and a handy little device to help him get there. You might as well invite him round.”