John Terry's £5 million mansion was ransacked by 4 burglars after images of his family skiing trip appeared on Social Media. The former Chelsea footballer uploaded a picture of himself and his wife on the slopes of the French Alps in February. The picture, that was seen by his 3.4 million Instagram followers, read "great few days away skiing with the family".
But little did he know the devastating repercussions he would face from his harmless holiday snap...
Great few days away Skiing with the family ❄️ @toniterry26 A post shared by John Terry (@johnterry.26) on
By announcing to the world that he was on holiday, he openly admitted to having a vacant home, therefore attracting the attention of opportunist burglars.
Most burglars wouldn't dare. They would assume a wealthy man like John Terry would have a sophisticated CCTV system, a burglar-proof alarm system and perhaps even automatic gates to keep unwanted visitors out.
While the details of Terry's home security measures haven't been released to the public, we already know they were no match for the men that broke in - twice!!
Not content with the original haul, which consisted of valuables from the master bedroom, the three burglars returned with an extra accomplice and an angle grinder to break open the safe!
The stolen goods amounted to around £364,000 and included designer handbags, jewellery and a rare signed first edition Harry Potter book.
The happy holiday memories would have quickly been forgotten after hearing the gut-churning news that their family home had been invaded - and all because of an Instagram update.
Some insurance companies warn that posting holiday pictures online can actually count against you when making a claim.
MoneySupermarket say:
"It might mean you're breaking the 'reasonable care' clause of home insurance...You need to take reasonable care to make sure you won't be burgled. That used to mean locking your doors, locking your windows, turning your burglar alarm on. This has been extended to not letting people know you're away on social media. That's akin to putting an advert out in the local paper 'I'm not here please burgle me!"
To avoid a situation like John Terry's burglary, take note of the following cautionary advice:
Only accept friend requests on Facebook from people you know and trust.
If you leave your Instagram profile public, anyone in the entire world can see your pictures.
As exciting as it is, don't reveal your holiday plans on Social Media.
Instead, tell your close friends and family in person. If you want to post a general, non-holiday-related status update while you're away, remember to switch your location off so people can't see you're posting from Ibiza!
Not only can they keep an eye on your home, you can also ask them to keep your post safe.
If a local burglar happens to be passing by and sees a stack of unopened mail in your front porch, he will know that your home is vacant.
Sharing your snaps online is all part of the holiday fun but, as you've just learnt, this led directly to John Terry's home burglary.
We also saw a similar situation with Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery following her Instagram update...
Instead, save your pictures in an album on your phone and upload them all at once when you get home.
Unfortunately, opportunist burglars can still strike - even if you take all of the appropriate precautions on Social Media.
That's why it's vital for your home security measures to be up to scratch.
No matter how secure you think your house is - there are always measures you can take to further burglar-proof your home.
You never know... you could be next on a burglar's hit list!
How secure is your home? Click the image below to take our quiz! It only takes five minutes to discover your personalised home security score.
