Hi °C | Lo °C FACEBOOK is a "paradise for burglars" who steal from houses when occupiers post that they are going on holiday, gardai have warned.
Wexford Chief Supt John Roche said burglars were searching Facebook and other social-media sites when planning which houses to target.
He urged people to use discretion when on Facebook and Twitter, especially when it comes to announcing that they are going on holidays.
"I don't understand Facebook," he said, "people are putting up so much, practically telling you if they're on the toilet. It's a paradise for burglars."
He said burglars were now targeting unoccupied homes between 4pm and 10pm, instead of in the dead of night.
They were using local newspapers and the internet to find out which houses would be vacant and the exact times when people would be away.
Supt Roche was speaking out after a man's house was burgled in Wexford town as he attended his father's wake. All the family jewellery was stolen.
Irish Independent
