Facebook family warn of burglary threat

A THIRD of people using social networking sites are putting themselves at risk of burglary, insurers have warned.

Seven out of 10 people in the country use sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but give away too much personal information.

Some 36 per cent of people post regular status updates saying where they are, while 35 per cent count down to when they go away on holiday.

The warning comes after a family in Hull told how they had been twice burgled while their newborn baby was having life-saving heart surgery.

The Leighton family were keeping a vigil at the bedside of baby Kai, who was born with a narrow heart valve, when their home 70 miles away was raided.

Grandmother Julie Leighton said: “People need to be really careful about what information they put on Facebook, we didn't even think about what we were saying but someone took advantage of it.

“We were disgusted when we found out someone had broken in, but to think they found out when we were trying to keep our family and friends informed of Kai's progress is horrific.”

The Co-operative said two-thirds of people had posted pictures of themselves on the sites, 60 per cent have disclosed their marital status and 42 per cent have shared their date of birth.

Half of users said that while they knew all their “friends”, they didn’t see them all regularly, while 21 per cent admitted that some were friends of friends.

David Neave, director of general insurance at the Co-operative Insurance, said: “A common sense approach when using social networking websites is key. You have to ask yourself, ‘would I be happy to divulge this information normally?’ If not, you shouldn’t make people aware of it online.”

Mrs Leighton who shares her home on Hartland Drive, Bransholme, with Kai’s parents, granddaughter Haydn Leighton and Jamie-Leigh, returned from hospital to find an Xbox games console and several games had been taken.

The burglary was reported to police and the family went back to Leeds while Kai had an operation.

As they continued to mount a bedside vigil, the burglars struck again.

Five days later,Mrs Leighton's neighbours called to say they had been broken into again and this time a 42-inch and a 47-inch TVs had been taken along with dozens of DVDs.

Haydn Leighton, who is studying motor mechanics at Hull College, said: “Obviously the most important thing to me was that Kai was okay, that is what we were all bothered about.

“But when we got home to find we had been burgled it was devastating, I was really angry.”

Mrs Leighton said: “They must have known we were away and the only way that information had gone to a wide audience was through Facebook.”

Baby Kai has recovered and has now been released from hospital.