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Facebook - WREG On Your Side Investigators
Twitter - @nc3investigates
keli.rabon@wreg.com
(Memphis 4/7/2010) Joe is always on the go.
And like clockwork, whenever he makes a stop, he 'checks-in' using a cell phone application called FourSquare.
It's a social networking tool that lets a user's online friends know where they are and enables the user to rack up points each time they log a location.
But Joe didn't know the On Your Side Investigators were following him until we surprised him at a local coffee shop. He was shocked.
When FourSquare users check-in throughout their day they're not only telling the world where they are. In turn, they're revealing where they're not.
"Letting everyone know where you are, it just doesn't make sense to me," Shelby County Deputy Les Haynes said.
Deputy Haynes says the average home burglary takes a mere six minutes, and apps like FourSquare, Facebook, and Twitter can be just the tool a thief needs to make breaking into a home that much easier.
"I know you're at a restaurant or wherever you may be. I've got all the time I need. I know you're not going to be home in 10-15 minutes," Haynes said.
So when someone like Joe checks in at a place like Otherlands Coffee Shop, a few minutes later, a crook could be checking out his place.
"You never know who's going to have access to that information, and how that information is going to be used," Haynes said.
Joe didn't realize it, but he approved On Your Side Investigator Keli Rabon without ever knowing her.
Deputy Haynes says it's a practice that happens all too often online, "It's kind of like talking to strangers. When we were growing up, mom said don't talk to strangers. What do we do when we get on social network sites? We invite them all in to be our friends and give them access to our friend's pages."
- Social networking applications may lead crooks to your door.
- Revealing your location lets people other than approved friends know where you are.
- Authorities urge users to check safety settings and be aware of their online surroundings.
Facebook - WREG On Your Side Investigators
Twitter - @nc3investigates
keli.rabon@wreg.com
(Memphis 4/7/2010) Joe is always on the go.
And like clockwork, whenever he makes a stop, he 'checks-in' using a cell phone application called FourSquare.
It's a social networking tool that lets a user's online friends know where they are and enables the user to rack up points each time they log a location.
But Joe didn't know the On Your Side Investigators were following him until we surprised him at a local coffee shop. He was shocked.
When FourSquare users check-in throughout their day they're not only telling the world where they are. In turn, they're revealing where they're not.
"Letting everyone know where you are, it just doesn't make sense to me," Shelby County Deputy Les Haynes said.
Deputy Haynes says the average home burglary takes a mere six minutes, and apps like FourSquare, Facebook, and Twitter can be just the tool a thief needs to make breaking into a home that much easier.
"I know you're at a restaurant or wherever you may be. I've got all the time I need. I know you're not going to be home in 10-15 minutes," Haynes said.
So when someone like Joe checks in at a place like Otherlands Coffee Shop, a few minutes later, a crook could be checking out his place.
"You never know who's going to have access to that information, and how that information is going to be used," Haynes said.
Joe didn't realize it, but he approved On Your Side Investigator Keli Rabon without ever knowing her.
Deputy Haynes says it's a practice that happens all too often online, "It's kind of like talking to strangers. When we were growing up, mom said don't talk to strangers. What do we do when we get on social network sites? We invite them all in to be our friends and give them access to our friend's pages."
