FACEBOOK IS 'ONLINE SHOP FOR BURGLARS' Insurers say web posts help thieves pick targets.

Byline: Mark McGivern

BURGLARS are using Facebook and Twitter to "shop" for empty homes.

Insurers have warned that people are posting too many personal details on the social networking sites.

A study showed four out of 10 users had posted updates about their holiday plans.

And one in three had told their online pals they were going away for the weekend.

Experts warned that people are not cautious enough about keeping the information secure - and forget that strangers can read what they post on other users' profiles.

Former burglar Michael Fraser, who appeared on the BBC's Beat the Burglar series, said: "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to develop relationships with people to identify likely targets.

"They gain confidence by learning more about them, what they are likely to own and when they are likely to be out of the house, then target appropriate victims. I call it internet shopping for burglars.

"It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, then scope out more information on their home using other internet sites such as Google Street View, all from the comfort of the sofa."

He added that in just one week a professional burglar would be able to use the sites to gain information on dozens of potential targets. The poll of 2092 people for insurers Legal & General found that one in five had seen seen users' residential addresses posted on pages that can be viewed by strangers.

One in 10 have also included phone numbers and five per cent have included their address in profiles that are visible to friends.

And users aren't being picky enough about their online friends, which means virtual strangers get access to personal info.

Legal & General sent 100 friend or follow requests to random users of Facebook and Twitter.

Desire On Facebook, one in eight accepted. On Twitter, the figure jumped to nine out of 10.

Eight out of 10 of people said they thought the sites were a good way to track down people they had met on holiday, while three-quarters thought they were a good way to meet friends of friends Half admitted they used the site to 'meet' new people based on their photographs.

The insurer warned that criminals could take advantage of people's desire to recruit friends to learn information about them which would help them establish when a property was likely to be empty and what possessions people had.

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WARNING: TV burglar Michael Fraser