Protect Your Safety And Security When Moving By Avoiding These Three Things

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Safety and security is often the last thing people think about—if at all—when they're moving. However, your chances of being a victim of a crime or injuring yourself increase significantly when you're relocating. Here are three things you should avoid doing while moving to keep you and your family safe during this hectic time.

Don't Make Announcements on Social Media

Sharing on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter has become such second nature that many people automatically do it without thinking about the consequences. This makes them easy targets for burglars and hackers who also use social media sites to find their next marks. According to one survey, 78 percent of burglars used social media to find people to rob, and 74 percent used Google Street view in some way to aid their efforts.

While you may be excited to tell your friends, family members, and followers about moving to a new home you just purchased, it's a good idea to skimp on the details of your relocation process. Avoid posting specific dates and/or times you're moving, and you definitely should not share your address (old or new) online. At the very minimum, you should adjust your privacy settings so that only people you know and trust are privy to the information you're sharing.

Don't forget to adjust your location settings to stop the social media app from showing where you're uploading your posts from, and don't check into locations online (e.g. restaurants) until after you're long gone.

Don't Forget the Safety Gear

When moving day rolls around, it's not unusual for people to just start picking up boxes and loading them onto the truck. In actuality, moving day should begin with you and your helpers donning protective garb to minimize the risk of injuring yourselves while you're slinging boxes and furniture. There are several ways you can hurt yourself during the move that could easily be prevented by wearing the right clothes and safety gear.

For instance, you may feel more comfortable wearing sandals, especially if it's hot outside. However, wearing open-toed shoes is practically inviting a podiatric disaster. Stubbing a toe would be the least of your worries. You could break your foot if you drop a piece of furniture on it or you could fall due to the lack of slip-resistance on most sandals. Instead, you and your crew should wear closed-toe shoes with non-skid soles.

Other safety gear you should invest in:

Additionally, keep enough water and other hydrating drinks on hand to prevent dehydration and make adjustments for the weather. For instance, be sure to salt or sand the ground if it snows.

Don't Forget to Handle Your Mail

Although you may be careful to avoid telling people about your moving plans, it's hard to hide the large moving truck outside your home. Opportunistic thieves may see the truck and use the opening to try to steal your identity by intercepting any mail sent to your old home after you have left.

This is why it's important to either forward your mail to your new address as soon as possible or have the post office hold your mail until you get settled at your new place. Even if you lived in an apartment complex where access to the mailboxes is limited, you want to ensure none of your mail continues being sent to the old address, as the new people moving in could also do bad things with your personal information.

For more information about staying safe while moving or to get help relocating your belongings, contact local movers.


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