I wouldn’t be writing this if I hadn’t met someone today who was actually worried about it. ABC published this article a while ago, and it must have aired on channel five recently. It’s your basic public safety piece. It’s about a “reformed” thief who breaks into a car and a home and steals a bunch of stuff and how the family is shocked to find out they are vulnerable.
These pieces always drive me a little nuts. Everyone’s home would be an easy target if someone spent time learning their routine. In this example, the thief knew the family was at a Little League game so it was obvious he would have free reign of the home for an hour or so.
This was the part of the article the woman I met today was worried about.
Let’s start with your car. If your GPS has a key lock, use it. If it doesn’t, don’t list your home as “home.” Instead, call your address “ice cream store” or “supermarket.” That way, a thief can’t find out where you live.
Dear ABC, I really doubt car thieves make it a priority to rob the same person twice. Additionally, it’s not difficult to find the home address in a vehicle. The last time I checked your home address is on a few items on your car including the registration and possibly your insurance card. If a thief was really stupid enough to intentionally rob the same person twice, its the work of a minute to open the glove box and put the address into your GPS.
For anyone reading this who might not have their address in their car. Please don’t think your safe renaming your home address “Ice Cream Store” Security by obscurity is a poor form of security in any guise.
Post to Twitter 
Delicious 
Digg This Post 
Facebook 
Stumble This Post
Additional comments powered by BackType