Las Vegas is caught up in a growing national problem where thieves see people on vacation via social media and use that as their opportunity to break into their homes.
13 Action News Crime & Safety Expert and retired Las Vegas police Lt. Randy Sutton says people are inviting thieves into their homes by posting publicly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
"That is just shooting up a flare saying come rip me off," he said.
Las Vegas police say just last weekend, five separate victims were all on vacation when their homes were broken into. The common denominator was that they were all posting about their trip on social media.
Social media expert with IMI, Danielle Deremo, says people should be checking their privacy settings monthly to make sure they know who their audience is.
Police wish residents just wouldn't post at all until they are back home.
"It's really hard for a lot of people to try and resist posting at all while on social media," Deremo said. "It's just a reflex nowadays."
Click here for a list of tips from Las Vegas police on what to do when you go on vacation.
