Xmas is a prime time for burglars and one of the busiest days for them is Christmas Eve between 9am – 6pm.

If you are about to head off on holidays, like many of us, you likely want to share those holiday pics. But there is one big problem with doing that.

It also alerts burglars that you are not at home and that is good news for them (not so good for you)

A recent QBE survey found that 51% of people share photos on social media while they are on holiday. When convicted burglars were surveyed in the UK, four out of five said social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter were being used by burglars to target their victims.

David Vaile, co-convenor of the Cyberspace Law and Policy Community at the University of NSW, said holiday posts on social media provided an “in or outbox to tell burglars when you are at home or not”.

This is why you should be cautious about sharing with a really huge network.

If you want to share your holiday snaps and let’s face we all want to show off our fabulous holiday, then you can still do so.

Here are a few simple things you can do if you want to minimise potential threats and still share your pictures on Facebook over the holidays (and a target

• Don’t tag your location or check-in – seems pretty obvious but tagging yourself and your family members shows you are on holidays together and chances are your home is empty.
• Share only to people you are connected to – when you create a post you have the option to determine who you share it with. You will see a dropdown menu under your name

• Share to a group you create – Why not create a group for your family or friends. The people that might actually want to see your holiday pics. You can create a Closed or Secret group and share your pics there instead. This stops you sharing them to total strangers

• Turn off location sharing – With Facebook Messenger, you can now see what friends are nearby, but to do so you have to share your location with Facebook. If you want Facebook to stop sharing your location all you have to do is go to “Settings” on your Facebook app, click “Location,” and make sure Location is set to never.

The technology we use every day can be a blessing and a curse. As a business, you want to be visible, yes, but you need to be mindful of how you are using it to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Happy holidays!