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July 2010

How a Monitored Security System Affects Crime Statistics

by Carolyn

It’s estimated that around 14% of homeowners own some type of burglar prevention system for their home. This may include monitored security systems, simple motion detection alarms, security lights and video surveillance. However, many people don’t fully understand how having a monitored security system directly affects the chance that their home will be successfully burglarized. Though some of these statistics are circumstantial (relating to the crime rate in an area, the type of home, neighbors, etc), they can still provide…

Home Security Systems from Door-to-Door Salesmen

by Lyndsi

During the summer, the seasonal selling of security systems reaches its peak. Companies hire students on summer break to go out door-to-door to sale alarms, and the companies’ growth has exploded because of it. Last summer, the largest door-to-door company sold near 200,000 security systems in 100 markets around the United States. Although some of the home security systems are a good buy, the vast majority are not. One of the downfalls to purchasing security systems from door-to-door salesmen is…

5 Useful Paypal Safety Tips

by Carolyn

Today, many consumers use Paypal for everything from purchasing eBay items to managing small business transactions. However, you may not realize that Paypal was created just ten years ago (in the year 2000), as a result of a merger between X.com and Confinity. In October of 2002, Paypal was purchased by eBay for $1.5 billion dollars. In 2009, Paypal’s total payment volume was around $71 billion dollars, up 19% from 2008. In total, there are around 185 million Paypal accounts…

Unemployment on the Horizon for Car Thieves

by Lyndsi

Over the past two years, auto thefts have fallen 20%. Most of the urban areas in the United States reported fewer burglaries. This did not just occur overnight, however. Since 1991, vehicle burglaries have been dropping steadily. There are a few reasons, though, for the sharp and significant decrease in the past year. One reason car burglary has dropped is because of better anti-theft technology like LoJack and OnStar which help police track stolen vehicles. Other devices that help deter…

Do-it-Yourself Home Security

by Carolyn

You may not realize it, but by some historical standards, we are currently living in a relative utopia. Human resourcefulness has contributed to a large number of technological advancements, which have provided us with everything from running water to cross-globe communication. Innovation is a valuable tool in all aspects of society, and can be extremely useful when applied to the topic of home security. Here’s a quick guide to the definition of “Do-it-Yourself” home security, as well as creative feedback…

How Secure is Your Biometric Briefcase?

by Carolyn

In a long hallway, the figure of a suit-clad man approaches. The man looks cautiously from side to side, and slips into a concealed room. After neatly dispatching two security guards (using only his hands), he discovers a hidden safe underneath a desk. Whipping out a complicated gadget, he quickly cracks the safe, and removes an ordinary-looking black briefcase. Taking the briefcase in hand, he slinks out of the door, making a dramatic escape with hundreds of security guards in…

Burglars Expose Weaknesses in Home Security

by Lyndsi

Have you ever wondered how burglars manage to sneak into homes so easily and make off with cash, jewelry and other household items without getting caught? Research conducted among reformed home thieves reveals their secrets and our own mistakes that make their burglary even easier. Although home security systems are becoming more common, 90% of reformed burglars believe that breaking in to a home is still an easy task. In addition, they all agreed that there is no impossible job;…

Attempted Robbery by Fake FBI

by Lyndsi

A family in Cooper City, Florida had a rude awakening in the middle of the night from three men dressed in FBI jackets. Surveillance cameras from the family’s home security system caught the three men pulling up to the home and two of them trying to force the door open with a crowbar. When they failed to get the door open, they tried to break through the window. Woken up by the noise at their front door, the wife upstairs…

Burglar Hit with an Arrow

by Lyndsi

On July 16, Prosecutor Sue Baur of Cowlitz County, Washington decided not to prosecute Scott Allen Schwingdorf who shot a suspected burglar with a bow and arrow. Baur does not want to encourage citizens to enforce laws themselves, but she recognizes the right of self defense and defense of property. She told the press, “If someone chooses to use force on a fleeing felon, their facts better be right – and the likelihood of that is very rare. So you…

How to Keep Computer Passwords Safe

by Carolyn

You may not realize it, but sometimes all that stands between you and an identity thief is a string of 5-8 alphanumeric characters. In today’s digital world, passwords allow us to gain access to a wide variety of information. This may include personal emails, bank account info, daily news preferences and social networks. However, many people don’t realize how vulnerable they are because of the location and type of passwords they use. In fact, many people store their passwords in…

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