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Neenah, WI—As jewelers increasingly use social media to build their brands, criminals are watching. With every web page, blog entry, Facebook post, YouTube video, photo upload, and Tweet that jewelers hope their target audience will see, don’t forget it also will draw another audience you don’t want: criminals who scour the Internet to see when you’re most vulnerable to attack.

Nearly all crimes against jewelry stores are preceded by days, or even weeks, of close and continual observation; i.e. casing. In its most recent newsletter, Jewelers Mutual Insurance reminds jewelers that online casing can be as useful as physical casing by those with criminal intent. Jewelers can unwittingly reveal the wrong information with their social media posts: information that leaves them more vulnerable to crime.

The broad diverse content of jewelers’ online communications make it impractical to develop a checklist of hard and fast online “do” and “don’t” rules, says JM. But there are some broad and commonsense steps to take to minimize your risk of revealing the wrong thing online. Before you hit “post,” step back and assess your communications through the eyes of would-be criminals:

• Does the information help criminals identify members of your staff?
• Does it reveal patterns regarding your staffing levels at particular times or on particular days?
• Does it give away too much information regarding travel plans or transport of merchandise?
• Do posted images reveal specifics regarding your store’s physical configuration, location of merchandise, security equipment, the safe, the vault, etc., that could help plan a crime?
• Does the information indicate when the store is receiving a new line of merchandise?
• Do promotions of trunk shows or special events tell criminals about after-hours activities at the store that could present robbery opportunities?

It’s a challenge to walk the fine line between marketing your business and avoiding the disclosure of information that could be beneficial to criminals, says JM. Also, by stepping back and viewing your communications through a criminal’s eyes, you’ll remain cognizant of occasions where you may need to beef up your security.

Read the full article here.

Top image: homesecuritystore.com