[Itpolicy-np] Facebook Burglars used social network status updates to select victims

[Bipin Gautam]

Facebook burglary gang suspects arrested by police
( Source : http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2010/09/13/facebook-burglary-gang-suspects-arrested-police/
)


Police in Nashua, New Hampshire, have arrested a group of men
suspected of being part of a burglary ring that targeted Facebook
users who had reported they were away from home.

According to local news reports, between $100,000 to $200,000 of
stolen property has been recovered so far after 50 homes in the city
were burgled during the month of August.

Investigators believe that careless homeowners attracted criminal
attention after posting on social networks that they would not be home
at certain times.
...
Some victims had posted updates on social networking sites like
Facebook telling the world that they were going on vacation, helping
criminals determining that no-one would be present in the home.

You can watch a video news report from WMUR TV about the arrests on YouTube.

Earlier this year we reported how a woman had her house burgled after
she updated her Facebook status to say she was going to a concert.
Fortunately a surveillance camera was able to catch the burglar in the
act, and the victim was able to identify the criminal as someone who
had "friended" her some months before.

Remember - you should always think carefully about the information you
share online, and who might be reading it.
...