City: Don't Post Vacation Plans Online

The city of Minneapolis is warning users of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook of the dangers of posting their vacation plans online.

The city says vacation plans posted on a public, online profile could tip technically-savvy burglars to a potential target. While sites like Facebook have privacy tools, some user fail to use them, and sites like Twitter publicly display updates to any user.

Minneapolis police have no reports of suspects using Facebook, Twitter and other online resources to aid in a burglary, but the city hopes a warning can keep it that way.

Police offer the following tips to prevent a burglary while you are on vacation:

• Let trusted neighbors know that you will be gone and ask them to bring in any flyers or other items that are left on your doorstep
   
• Suspend mail and newspaper delivery service for the time you will be out of town
   
• Set up timers on lights both interior and exterior, if possible
   
• Consider installing motion detectors