Did you know your iPhone can help get you robbed? My past clients didn’t until now!

Auto-Geotagging is a problem and hardly anybody knows about it. Bottom line is way too many people tell us way too much on facebook and twitter. Here's an idea. Stop telling us you're at starbucks and then after that you're on your way to (fill in the blank). Truthfully, we really don't care, you're wasting your own valuable time, and you're giving crooks all the info they need. Good grief, maybe you deserve it lol.

That's creepy!

Todd - Although I do agree that many people are unaware of the potential downfalls of living in a world where everything is tagged, friended, and tweeted out; I have to ask - how did they know the iPhone photos and tweets were the cause of the robbery?  I've seen a lot about people being robbed thanks to technology and the information they've posted, but I haven't yet seen any specific case where the technology was proven to be the cause.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning the possibilities (this has been a hot button issue for some time now), but being inquisitive, I haven't yet seen the case data that proves the fact that it came from someone's use of geo-tagging or any location based technology and because of that I have to wonder if there is any data on the subject - whether through a study (which I haven't heard of any) or a first person account.

As agents, our info is all over the place to begin with - think of this, you may not be on foursquare, but how many times have you told people that you were "out showing homes" or "meeting with a client today" on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere?  Location based technology may make it a little easier for someone to pinpoint where you are when you're away, but even those people that I know are anti-geo-tagging often reveal they're not at home through other media.

Todd, this is good information. Thanks for the heads up.

Those crooks must have been pretty tech saavy.   If that's in fact what happened, it sounds to me more like organized crime, or at least the beginnings of it.

I went to correct my settings per #65 and didn't find camera listed there.  Does that mean my photos are not auto-geotagged?

Absolutely GREAT post. Thanks for sharing. I've wondered about the desire for people to use Four Square, but nonetheless, it's not worth the risk in my opinion.

Sounds like we all need to start packing handguns when we leave with our iphone in the morning.

That's really scary, Todd.  I'm going to double check that my photos aren't Geo-tagged right now.  As for Foursquare, my son's school and our home are VERY off limits.  Thanks for the tip.  You have to be SO careful nowadays.

Learned something new again. Thank you for the post. This is so much in line with taking all the precautions we can to protect ourselves and our homes. Another safety tip, although not of the electronic world, is to make certain that you never leave any mail exposed in your car, because, guess what, your address is going to be on there whether as a recipient or as a sender. And, if your mail is away from home, guess again who might be visiting the address on that mail?

Great info.

Have you heard about the GPS?   Oh, I had better blog it.

Great advice Todd.

I read about this a while ago and turned off my GeoTagging feature, but it's always good to be reminded.

Well, geotag is new to me.  We are in an ever-changing profession... and world!  ;-)

So, I guess they caught the bad guy/gal and the person told them this?  How do they know it was due to the iPhone?

What an experience.  I'm glad nothing was stolen, thanks to the neighbor.  It's a reminder that we all need to be careful with the things we choose to share via social media.  Thanks for the reminder. 

Wow, thank you, Todd! I just got a replacement phone, and apparently that was enabled. Thank goodness I came across this post -- I did not want that!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

There is a lot of really cool tech out there but you have to be careful which apps you use. The truth is, all gps and locator apps should be kept off until you need them. It helps with security as we have just read, also helps extend battery life.

Todd, Thanks for the info.  I wouldn't have ever thought about the location being tracked on photos.  I've disabled that for my phone.