A GPS Could Lead a Thief to Your Home

Father’s Day is coming up and you may be purchasing a brand new GPS for Dad for the special day. GPS systems make great gifts but, when you don’t follow certain safety tips, they can also be a great gift for thieves! To help you and your dad get the most out of his new GPS, we’ve put together a few things to watch for when using a GPS to keep your car and home safe.

1. Don’t leave your GPS in your car – Not only are they tempting to steal in and of themselves, they also serve as a treasure map of sorts. A thief can use your GPS to find and access your home – and any valuables inside. Once inside your vehicle, a thief can use your GPS to find your home if you have it saved in your GPS. Once there, he can access your home with your garage door opener.  It’s better to be safe than sorry so take your GPS with you when you leave your vehicle parked somewhere.
2. Wipe suction cup marks off of your windshield glass – Those little suction cup marks on your windshield seem so innocuous but they can tip off a thief that you have a GPS and it may be hidden in your car. If you followed step one, it’s not in there but if you have it hidden, the thief could find it and use it to access your home. And, even if you didn’t hide it in your car, you may still suffer damage due to a break in. So, keep some wipes in your car and take care of those telling suction cup marks.
3. Don’t name your home preset “home” – There’s no place like Starbucks! Well, maybe there is but, in this case, you should name your home preset something other than home, like the name of a nearby business. That way, should a thief access your GPS, he won’t know where home is so, unless he just borrowed your GPS to find a cup of coffee, he won’t be able to gain access to your house.
4. Lock the door from your garage to your house – We hope that a thief never gets this far but, just in case everything else goes wrong and a crafty thief manages to use your GPS and car to get into your garage, he won’t be able to access your house.
5. Arm your alarm system – When all else fails, if a thief manages to access your home, your home alarm system going off should definitely deter an invader. Make sure that your alarm system is set whenever you are away.

With a little care, a GPS can be a great tool for Dad and not a tool for a thief.