Rising house prices are often in the news, but the rising value of household contents is a lesser reported phenomenon which is no less important to the majority of the population.
A person’s home is sacred. It’s the foundation of the family, it’s where memories are made and where valuables are stored. Yet many people don’t have more than the bare minimum of security protection and it’s not just the rich and famous being targeted.
What’s the most popular magazine in UK prisons?
The modern thief is becoming more and more sophisticated and they are finding information in a variety of sources. Consider this: the most popular magazine in the clink is Hello!
Why? Because it reads like a UK rich list, and often contains details about people’s residences and belongings. What’s more, most thieves are checking social media for information about people’s comings and goings.
Posting on social media can invalidate your house insurance, here’s how…
According to home security experts, 78% of burglars have used social media to find information about a property and a property owner. Telling your friends about an upcoming holiday and absence from home or posting holiday snaps from the beach can invalidate your insurance because you are effectively telling thieves you aren’t at home. The current advice is to wait until you get back to blighty before posting holiday snaps on social media.
The internet contains a wealth of detail for criminals. Apart from photos, there are descriptions of houses and even floor plans available, all of which provide invaluable assistance to burglars looking for entry points.
James Bond style fingerprint readers and retina scanners
For the very rich there are lots of different security products on the market, ranging from relatively small and inconspicuous key fobs through to the James Bond inspired fingerprint readers, retina scanners, video doorbells and smartphone connected CCTV. One company even offers such high-tech monitoring that it can detect the smallest change in noise levels, air quality, and even do a remote check on the PH levels in a swimming pool.
Another way that modern houses are improving their security is through clever landscape gardening, a thorn bush and few trees can provide both privacy and act as a spiky deterrent to would be thieves.
As the rich and famous become better protected, burglars target the middle classes. The super-rich and wealthy have always been a target for criminals. But as the security market catches on, providing increasingly sophisticated protection methods, burglars are turning to the middle classes. People who probably wouldn’t even consider themselves wealthy are being targeted and they are often woefully underprepared. Don’t get caught out yourself.
For more information please visit www.petty.co.uk