You're On Vacation: The Burglars Aren't. Security Tips

The school year is coming to a close next week here in the Northeast, and the hostage situation at the pumps aside, most families have planned vacations this summer. The etymology of the word vacation itself : from the Latin root vac, is to render something/someone "empty" (vacuum, vacate, vacuous...). Somewhat ironic in the case of a home burglary during a family's away time.

In today's Bulletin we are going to give you the standard "what to do to make your home look occupied while you are away" tips and a few more up-to-date security pointers: (Also, the above video, aside from being highly entertaining, likewise contains solid security tips re: burglary prevention during your vacation.)

Traditional Tips:

• Stop mail and newspapers, and ask a trusted neighbor to pick up any deliveries that might be made while you are gone.

• Place several lamps and radio/TV in various parts of your home to automatic timers, so they turn on and off at appropriate times (vary the timers also by the unit itself so that the living room light does not come on at exactly 7 p.m. every night...).

• Arrange to have your lawn mowed (or sidewalk shoveled) while you are away.

• Don't leave keys in obvious exterior places like in the mail box or under a flower pot or door mat. Leave your house key with a trusted neighbor.

• Instruct your trusted neighbor to report unusual activity to the police - and not to wait until they can contact you first. You may be holed up in a Carlsbad cavern for several nights or an in-house therapy clinic following a runn-in' with the bulls in Pamplona.

• Have a neighbor park their car in your driveway overnight (and move it around from day to day).

• Don't leave notes indicating your absence.

• Many security experts advise unplugging the electric garage door opener while you are away. We don't. A burglar's scanner can easily detect whether the device is activated. Simply place it too on a variable timer.

• Make sure all your door and window locks are working and in use.

• Turn off or turn down your telephone ringer. A phone ringing endlessly is a clue to a would-be burglar that no one is home. This is especially important if you are living in an apartment building where burglars may be more likely to hear your phone ringing. Call forward your incoming calls in your absence.

• Unless you have reason to believe your piping system is in bad shape and may burst in inclement weather, do not turn off your main water valve before you leave. Fortunately, technological advances in utility services now offer scanning options that don't require exterior meters on houses - an inactive one a sure clue to a burglar that the home residents may be away.

Contemporary Tips:
• Do not activate automatic "away" responses from your email - business and personal - addresses. And especially ones with specific dates of your absence. You might as well inquire into ad rates in the NYT.

• Further on the preceding tip, activate a disposal WiFi card from your vacation spot. Repeatedly answering your emails from your iPhone, Wing or Blackberry, by definition, signifies that you are away from your normal communication access points. (Yesterday's sad-sack street burglars have been replaced by snipers - they target specific homes, can obtain email addresses easily.. e.g. most business emails are comprised of the person's first initial and full last name@theirlawfirm, Email read times can easily be tracked - yes, including "Internet" ones. A cleverly written subject line can pique someone's curiosity enough into opening a "pigeon" email. Today's smart burglar considers this time in tracking you a lucrative investment.)


• Have your email/snail mail forwarded to a virtual post office. They can hold, forward, scan or even read your email/mail to you. Big advantage: the forwarding is discreet and undetectable.


Generally, we tend to believe and trust in the good of the vast majority of people; being smart and proactive with your home and valuables while you are away helps to maintain that attitude.

BNI Operatives: Street Smart: Web Savvy.

As always, be safe,

Lina

Recover Lost or Deleted Files - FREE & ASAP

We recently experienced the necessity to recover tons of lost, deleted, virused-out and buggy data. Backstep: Allow me to preface today's Bulletin with "I'm writing this issue instead of our resident IT expert, Jonathan Caspian." (When IT guys insist on NO COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE breaks, perhaps it should give us all a heads up to disconnect from our tech-driven world every so often.) Nonetheless, my writing this tech-specific issue should boost the credit given to this week's recommended product.

RECUVA. (Pronounced recover. We're not certain but that name smacks of having come from east of Mineola.) Recuva.com is a fanastic little find. This FREE Windows-based application restores files that have been accidently deleted or lost due to a virus or whacky bug. (And, while I'm sure the telecoms will disagree, be very careful with DSL installations. This type of broadband connection seems to inherently come with weird glitches that are responsible for destabilizing Windows OSs and wiping out key data. )

The audio on the vid clip may be somewhat difficult to follow, but it is accompanied by tight visual instructions.

Recuva.com. It works and it's free.

BNI Operatives: Street Smart: Web Savvy.

Stay safe,

Lina