September 17, 2010
By: Carrie Van Brunt
While digitally savvy consumers who are active on popular social media networks like Twitter and Facebook might find it easier to keep in touch with friends and family, one UK-based insurance provider said they might also have to pay more for home insurance.
Confused.com said the increasing prevalence of location-enabled services - which utilize tracking devices in smartphones and other mobile digital equipment to customize the information that social networks provide to users - has had the unintended consequence of making it easy to determine whether or not a user is at home. Thieves can use this information to ensure that they strike only when their victims are out, cutting their chances of being caught.
The head of home insurance at Confused.com, Gareth Kloet, told PC Advisor that some insurers could even begin declining burglary claims for consumers that are burglarized as a result of using these services.
And the trend has already begun - police in New Hampshire recently apprehended several suspected burglars who were believed to have used social media networks to plot their alleged crimes.
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