The warnings come after a recent survey claimed that over sharing online is putting homes at risk of burglary. 

The survey conducted by Origin outlines that those under 30 years old are the worst offenders. In fact, of those that share photos of their homes online, over 70 percent are under 30 – more than double the number of older residents. Almost one-third of homeowners over 30 reveal their properties on Instagram.

As part of the report public profiles of 500 homeowners in the UK were examined. The research outlined that nearly 50 percent posted at least one photograph of their home on the popular social channel, Instagram. 

In doing so, homeowners are said to be unwittingly giving burglars large amounts of information that can assist break-ins, including the best means of entry and where valuables are kept.

The research reveals that the living room is the room that homeowners most commonly share on their Instagram profiles. Photos of expensive televisions, sound systems and other electrical goods were among the images openly shared on social media. 

Photographs of keys by the front door, showing exactly where they are kept during the day, was among the posts analysed during the research. Other posts that were equally as inviting for criminals included photos of expensive cars positioned right outside properties. One user hadn’t turned off location tracking, which means anyone using the social media channel could not only see the car and its number plate, but also exactly where it was kept overnight.

The Police shared practical steps to secure properties, these include; lock doors and windows, as one third of burglaries take place through unlocked doors and windows, don’t leave cash or valuable items on display, report suspicious persons or vehicles to Police via 101, join a neighbourhood watch, or nominated neighbour scheme, consider fitting an alarm or other security devices.