Legal & General’s Digital Criminal 2013: Insta-grabbers research reveals that 45% of social media users aged 18-35 who were surveyed are using smartphones and tablets to take photos of their valued possessions.

While smartphones and tablets are great for taking photos, the research also reveals that a staggering 84% of 18-35 year olds are sharing photos of their valued possessions on social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This is fine, except that almost two thirds, (64%) of those young social media users1 admit that they don’t know all of their friends or followers with whom they are sharing this information.

• A fifth, (20%) said they have used their smartphone to take photos of new purchases;
• 16% have taken photos of receipts of newly bought items;
• 15% have taken photos of possessions in case proof of purchase or ownership is needed;
• A further 14% of 18-35 year olds said that they have used their smartphone or tablet to take a photo of rented items in case they need to provide proof of the original condition;
• And nearly one in five young adults, (18%) said they take photos of items and receipts using their smartphone or a traditional camera for the specific purpose of providing proof of purchase when making an insurance claim.

Mark Holweger, director for Legal & General’s insurance business, said: “It’s great to see young people using cameras and digital technology to take photos so they have a record of their valued possessions. This is something we encourage all our customers to do as it can help in identifying items if they are lost or stolen. So taking snaps of items that mean something special to you as well as the more ordinary items in the home on a regular basis is a good thing to do.”

Legal & General’s Digital Criminal 2013: Insta-grabbers research also revealed that:

• Two out of five, (40%) of young social media users surveyed said they are planning to share photos and post updates about the Christmas presents they receive;
• Nearly one in three, (31%) said that they will be posting photos/ comments about new purchases during/ over the festive period;
• Over half, (56%) of the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram users surveyed said that they plan to post information about when they are away from home this Christmas such as, attending parties and dinners which again could make them a possible target for Digital Criminals.

These actions are despite nearly four out of five, (78%) of young social media users saying that they are being careful and never post comments or photos on social media sites that would put their security or possessions at risk.

L&G says their use of social media in this way could potentially increase the risk of them or their friends and family experiencing a burglary as this combination of information Digital Criminals are able to use to piece together what a person owns and when they are out of their home. This unfortunately could make them easy targets for the criminals that search the social media sites for this information. These Insta-grabbers use the information and details in photos and comments posted on sites to plan the best time to grab valued possessions from their targets’ homes.

Holweger added: “Although we understand that taking photos is fun and really useful, social media users should always check what images and information they are posting online. Before uploading the photos they’ve taken on their smartphones and tablets onto social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, they should make sure they do not include personal information which may unwittingly make them vulnerable to the digital criminals.

“We would encourage all of our customers to regularly log and record the items in their homes, as well as ensuring that they keep up to date valuations. And with Christmas being a time of year when we often receive and buy new items for our home, it’s a great time to start making that log, if there isn’t one in place already.”