Could Posting Your Vacation Photos on Facebook Lead to a Home Invasion?

I knew people in my home town who kept their lights on while away on vacation to fool burglars into thinking the home was occupied.

It’s always seemed silly and paranoid to me, so I chalked it up to the distrustful nature of my wealthy neighbors.

But police in the area are warning that similarly, if you deceive all of your Facebook friends and Twitter followers into thinking you’ve never left, you can better protect yourself from a home invasion.

Waterloo police have warned the public in a Gazette story that home invasions can take place while you’re away on vacation if you let your social media circle know you’re away.

Waterloo police captain Tim Pillack laid out two rules of thumb on how to avoid a home invasion:

• Don’t post details of your trip prior to coming home, such as, events and dates.
• Don’t post pictures with your cell phone or computer until you get home.

Waukee's crime numbers, taken from CityRating.com, indicate that the property crime rate - while much lower than the national average - is increasing in Waukee.

Property crime includes - among others -  burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting, and vandalism and usually involves money and/or property of some type.

Despite the increase, there is some good news for the city Waukee. In 2009, the violent crime rate in Waukee was lower than the violent crime rate in Iowa by 52.44 percent. The property crime rate in Waukee was still lower than the property crime rate in Iowa by 23.32 percent.