Do you post images of your vacation on social media while you are on your trip?
If you personally haven’t done so, you probably have a friend or family member who proudly shared their photos while on vacation. In the past, we have published blog posts that have detailed the risk management issues this could cause for you. It is essentially an announcement to burglars that nobody is home and your house and valuables are ripe for the picking.
Insurers are considering whether to view the posting of real time vacation photos as a violation of the “reasonable care” clause on your homeowners and valuable articles policies. Seeing how more than 2 million residential burglaries occur in the U.S. every year, costing insurers more than $14 billion annually, it is no wonder why insurance providers are spending time seriously analyzing this issue.
Think there is no correlation between social media vacation posts and home burglaries? All you need to do is look at the case of English Premier League professional soccer player John Terry to see that one absolutely exists. Terry was on a ski vacation with his family and posted pictures on his Instagram account of his wife and himself on the slopes. A couple of his 3.4 million followers on Instagram took this as an invitation to break into Terry’s $6,600,000 Surrey, UK mansion. The thieves made off with more than $500,000 worth of the Terry family’s valuables, including hard to replace first edition Harry Potter books valued at more than $23,000.
Police and insurers are alarmed at the increasing correlation between vacation social media posts and residential burglaries. While insurers currently replace the valuables in such a situation, it is increasingly looking as that may not always be the case. An additional consideration is that many have a loved one house-sitting while they are away. Thieves may break into a home expecting it to be empty, only to be surprised by a house-sitter and the consequences of that may not be fixed by any amount of insurance coverage.
Conrey Insurance Brokers urges you and your loved ones not to post pictures of your vacations on social media, especially in real time. While your insurance policy may replace your valuables, it can’t fix the violation you will feel after having your home burglarized.
We want you and your loved ones to enjoy your vacation without getting a dreaded call from your local police or neighbor that your home was burglarized because of an image posted on social media.
For more information on how to secure your home while on vacation follow this link to our blog post on the topic.
Since 1969, Conrey Insurance Brokers have been protecting the personal, commercial, and financial interests of our clients throughout Southern California. We are here to provide expert risk management solutions, ensuring your interests, loved ones, and financial future is properly protected.
Conrey Insurance Brokers is dedicated to building strong, lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships with our clients and community. The Conrey Team of experienced risk managers can assist you with your personal insurance, commercial insurance, life insurance, and financial services needs.
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Act today to ensure you are prepared for tomorrow. Contact the Conrey Team at 1-877-450-1872 or go to our website to get started on a free consultation today.
Cover photo from pexel.com and is used under the CC0 license.
Photo #2 from pexel.com and is used under the CC0 license.
