78pc of burglars use THIS to choose which house to rob

Yeah, we're all guilty of this.

Nothing like gloating about your summer holidays on social media - if you didn't at least post an airport check-in with a "catch you later, Ireland" status and a photo of a pint, did you even really go away? But it might be worth holding off on the holidays snaps and statuses until after you get back in order to protect your home. According to Marie Claire, research in the UK shows that 78 per cent of potential robbers use social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to decide which houses to target. Three quarters of them also use Google Street View to get a good look at a home prior to breaking in to it - pretty clever. Meanwhile, lots of folk are less than discreet about the details of their hols online. Together Mutual Insurance recently found that in a 30-day period, 66,000 UK-based holiday makers discussed their exact holiday itineraries on Twitter. When lots of us make it so easy, is it any wonder that burglars target houses that they know will be empty? While this is British research, it's a worthwhile reminder to exercise some restraint when it comes to those pool-side selfies.