Home Security Tips and Advice

• Do not give your name on your outgoing answering machine or voicemail message and never provide any information that indicates you are not home.
• Thoroughly shred all important documents containing personal information, including receipts, bills, statements, credit cards, and any other document which provides a date for when you will not be home.
• Never leave doors or windows unlocked even when you are leaving the house unattended for only a short period.
• Have you recently made a big ticket purchase? Be sure to dispose properly of the packaging. By leaving that big box your new flat screen came in, on the street for trash pickup, you are letting the whole world know about your purchase as well.

Other home security tips:

• Vacant homes are a much easier target than occupied ones.
• Predictability can help a criminal guess when you will or won't be at home.
• Easy entry for you can be easy entry for a criminal.
• No outdoor lighting can save you on energy bills, but it can make your home a very attractive target.
• Valuable items in view are like a display window at a store to a would-be thief.
• Additional tips for helping to keep your house secure from intrusion.