You are hereForums / By Discipline / Mountain (off road) / By Location / Australia / Thieves using social media to target high end bikes
Thieves using social media to target high end bikes
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
I got blown off last time I raised this but I see a report in yesterday's Manly Daily from the Northern Beaches LAC's crime prevention officer that three bikes a week are being stolen using social media to identify targets.
Recommendations:
* Understand and use your app's privacy settings. I have my strava settings ar maximum, with an offset location. However, it is still possible to circumvent this.
* Have your profile set to private
* Don't post photos of your bike
* Make sure riding apps do not contain residential locations or photos of bikes
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
Tags
Good idea. Unfortunately a lot of people just blindly use these apps to their full potential, without a single thought of the data they're making available to the world.
The chance of getting pinged is pretty low, but if you're like many riders and have multiple bikes worth thousands each, losing them all would be devastating, especially since your normal household insurance will probably cover a few hundred dollars for each bike.
I go a step further with my Strava and start/stop my ride about 1km from my house.
And loose 2km from your ride? That's nearly as bad as having your bike stolen!
Seriously though, good advice but couple this with a specific bike insurance then you're covered if the worst should happen.
And refrain from posting your new steed to the world of Facebook..
If only someone would invent something that strapped to your handlebar so you could see how far you had ridden, accurately.
I don't use Strava beacause- A, my phone is too stupid to know what it is, and, B-It still lights up all the unsanctioned trails no matter what you have your settings on and I don't want to be responsible for having someone's work destroyed.