• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 9, 2015

Police and insurers have been warning that social media can provide burglars with key information including when intended victims are out of town, with Facebook posts about holidays cited as the most frequent culprits. Now you can add Instagram to the list, according to Philadelphia police -- who said ill-advised posts on the photo-sharing site tipped off burglars to some high-end loot.

Philly police said the victim -- an unnamed 19-year-old man living in the city’s Somerton neighborhood -- posted photos on Instagram showing off some expensive jewelry he’d recently inherited, including a Rolex watch and two gold chains, as well as mobile devices. Not long afterwards, three assailants wearing ski masks and armed with pistols kicked down his door and demanded he produce the jewelry.

Police came to the scene after a resident called 911 using his cell phone from the bathroom. However, the three suspects still managed to escape via a rear window. Police said that the victim said the burglars mentioned the Instagram posts referencing the jewelry.

Although the Instagram angle provides a new twist, as noted, the risks presented by social media have been known for some time. Back in 2010, the Association of British Insurers warned that home insurance premiums could rise up to 10%, partly due to an increase in home invasions resulting from people revealing their whereabouts on social networks.

According to the ABI report, around 40% of British social network users post their holiday plans online, while roughly a third reveal their ordinary weekend plans. Meanwhile, 78% of convicted burglars surveyed by British security firm Friedland said they think burglars who are still practicing the vocation are using social media to find likely targets.