By Elliot Wright, 19th February 2010
Users of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are
being warned that they could eventually face increases in their
home insurance premiums.
Website PleaseRobMe.com has recently raised awareness on this
issue by using software to compile the status updates of users of
Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Buzz that appear to show the
person is not at home - making it easier for criminals to know
where to strike.
Services like Foursquare let others know people are in a
specific spot but more important that the user is definitely not at
home.
Comparison site Confused.com is predicting that the new wave in
social media could eventually lead to big hikes in home insurance
premiums.
Darren Black, head of home insurance at Confused.com said: "I
wouldn't be surprised that as social media grows in popularity and
more location-based applications come to fore, insurance providers
consider these in their pricing of an individual's risk and we
could see hikes of up to 10% for people who use these sites."
He also warned that criminals are using internet technology and
becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods - using
services such as Google Earth and street view to plan their
burglaries with "military precision".
Mr. Black continued: "Insurance providers are starting to take
this into account when they are assessing claims and we may in
future see insurers declining claims if they believe the customer
was negligent.
"We would always recommend that our customers have adequate
security and insurance in place to protect them should the worst
happen, however they need to be aware that home security doesn't
just mean physical locks."
Confused.com gives three helpful tips to reduce the risk of
using social networks and therefore the risk on homes:
1. Never post your home address or other personal information
such as your home phone number on social networking sites.
2. Don't follow people you don't know on social networks and use
block others from seeing your profile if you don't know them.
3. Turn off location-based services on Twitter and Facebook
unless you absolutely need to use them.
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