Tips to keep your car safe

Your car is likely one of the most expensive investments you’ll ever make. As such, you want to protect it from theft and vandalism much in the same way you want to protect your house. You also want to make sure that no one steals anything important out of your car. When it comes to securing your vehicle, you can spend big bucks on alarms, tracking systems, locks, and disconnect switches. However, if you’d rather not lay out that kind of money, there are quite a few things you can do to secure your car that are free or very inexpensive. Here are some easy steps you can take to secure your car.

Lock the doors

This is the easiest thing to do, but a lot of people forget. When you park your car (even in your own driveway), lock the doors and roll up the windows. Thieves look for an easy opportunity and an unlocked car is one of the easiest. There was a rash of car “break-ins” in my area not long ago and the only vehicles that were affected were the unlocked ones. The thieves didn’t bother with the locked cars. Too much effort, time, and risk of detection is involved. So lock the doors.

Don’t leave valuables in plain view

Don’t leave GPS’s, cell phones, purses, laptops, or shopping purchases in plain view, even if you’re parked at home. Secure them in the trunk, but make sure no one is looking when you do. And if you do put your items in the trunk, lock the doors since the trunk can be popped from inside the car. Better yet, take valuables out of the car entirely. Thieves can see a GPS holder, laptop stand or charger, etc. and may take the chance that the item is still in the car.

Park in the garage, if possible

If you have a garage at home, use it. It’s more secure than your driveway. If your garage is too full of junk to get the car in, clean out the garage. If you live in a more urban area and you have the option of parking in a monitored, gated garage, take it if you can afford it. The harder it is to get to your car, the less likely it is to be stolen.

Park wisely

When you park your car, try to park under lights, near security cameras, or in a well-traveled area. These make it more likely that someone will see a thief messing with your car and call the police. Thieves don’t like to be watched.

Don’t buy a car that’s a target

You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you don’t buy a car that’s a target in the first place. Some are targeted because of their style, such as luxury or sports cars, while others are targeted because their parts are in demand. Your insurance company likely has a list of most frequently stolen cars that they will share with you so you can avoid those models.

Buy a locking gas cap

While a cap won’t keep your car from being stolen, it does make it so that if your car is stolen the thieves will have a harder time filling up. This increases the chance that they won’t get far and may be caught by police. It also helps prevent thieves from siphoning gas out of your tank — a crime that always seems to spike when gas prices rise.

Always take your keys with you

Never leave the keys in the ignition or in the car. That’s just making it way too easy for the thieves.

Never leave the car running unattended

It’s tempting to leave the car running while you run in to the coffee shop or up to the ATM. People also leave cars running to warm them up in the winter. Don’t do it. Thieves watch for these opportunities and it only takes them a second to get in that car and take off.

Protect personal information

Don’t keep your registration in the car, and don’t keep any paperwork with personal or financial information in the car. If a thief steals your car, they may not stop at that. Identity theft is easy with a registration and if they get banking information, it’s easy to clean out your account. Also, with your home address, they know where you live and may decide to rob that, too (particularly if they got your keys).

Don’t use a hide-a-key

Even if you think it’s impossible to find, it isn’t. Thieves know where to look. Give someone you trust a spare key and call them if you have a problem, or get a service like AAA.

Don’t leave your car keys in an obvious place in your home

If thieves break into your home, they often look for car keys. You car will make an ideal get away vehicle and cap off their robbery of your home. Don’t leave the keys on the table, or on a hook by the door. Put them somewhere less obvious.

Mark your car

You can inscribe the VIN number on the engine, on the hood, in the trunk, and on the windows. This makes a car unattractive to thieves because it is now much more difficult to change the car’s identity. It’s also easier for the cops to find if they raid a chop shop or catch the criminals joyriding in your car.

Avoid long-term parking

Thieves know the owners aren’t likely to come back soon and long-term lots are often poorly policed. Get someone to give you a ride or take a taxi to the airport. If you do park in long-term, you can take some simple steps to disable your car such as disconnecting a battery cable, or disconnecting the distributor cap. Thieves often won’t try to figure out what’s wrong with the car, they’ll just move on. It takes too much time and is obvious if they go poking around under the hood.

Courtesy of: http://www.savingadvice.com

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Top 10 home security tips

Security is of paramount importance to any South African household and the more you know, the more secure you'll be.

Chubb Security South Africa proposes that homeowners keep the following 10 simple but crucial security tips in mind as they start the New Year.

1. Seek qualified advice from a security consultant who will carry out a risk assessment and recommend an alarm system specifically suited to your property.

2. Make sure that your chosen security provider is a registered member of the South African Intruder Detection Service Associations (SAIDSA) as this is a guarantee that any work carried out by them and equipment installed meets the appropriate industry standards.

3. Test your alarm at least once a month and request the services of a technician immediately if your alarm is faulty. It is important to remember to inform your security provider that you are putting your system into the "Test" mode.

4. Where possible, install exterior lighting that can be controlled remotely from inside the house. It is also worth considering demand lighting which is activated by a motion detector.

5. Try to reduce foliage and bushes in the vicinity of your driveway as these act as good hiding places for would-be criminals.

6. Increase visibility – Do you have any high walls or tall hedges obscuring your view of the property? Try to remove these if possible.

7. Automatic gates are preferable as you don't have to leave the safety of your vehicle in order to access your premises.

8. Create a "safe area" in your home by fitting a wrought iron gate or an expanding grille gate into which the family can retreat in an emergency.

9. Install a safe to store valuable items and copies of keys. Wall safes are usually not fireproof and therefore not suitable for cash or documents.

10. Add an emergency number to the speed-dial function on your phone.

These tips are from:  http://www.property24.com/articles/top-10-home-security-tips/11061

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Tips For Outdoor Activities During the Summer (keep safe)

With summer in full swing, outdoor activities such as road running, walking and biking are more and more appealing to fitness fanatics and those just wanting to enjoy South Africa´s crisp summer mornings and beautiful evenings.

“It is essential that one practices certain important precautions when venturing out for a walk, run or a bike ride,” says Roy Rawlins, Managing Director of ADT Johannesburg

According to Rawlins there are several tips to consider when heading out for your outdoor activity of choice:

Tell someone that you are going out and what time you expect to return
Try to vary your route and schedule as much as possible
Avoid heading out at dusk or at night
Avoid non-savoury areas
It is advisable not to listen to music while out as you may not hear an approaching car, truck, suspect or even a dog
Wear bright reflective clothing at all times – a simple reflector on your shoes will not suffice
Carry some form of identification
Carry your mobile with you
Carry mace with you
Carry small change in case of an emergency
“Unfortunately accidents or an attack can happen while you are out on a leisurely stroll, or while you are training,” concludes Rawlins. “The tips provided could save your life and the life of others.’’
From: www.adt.co.za

Crime Facts in SA Part 1

Welcome to our new series on 'Crime facts and stats in South Africa''. Crime is shocking in South Africa and is at an unacceptable level. Here are some stats for you to feast on:

More people murdered in Nyanga (Western Cape) than anywhere else in the country.
Over One hundred and Sixty One Thousand people murdered in South Africa since 2004
47% of all drug related crime in the country occur in the Western Cape.
5900 crimes are reported by the SAPS everyday day!
Over 43 people murdered on average everyday in South Africa.
The world average for murder is 7.6 per 100 000 people. Murder in South Africa is 36.5 per 100 000.
Honduras stats show that 60.9 people are murdered per 100 000. That's nearly twice as many as South Africa!!
It`s been estimated that SA has lost R650-billion to corruption over the last 18 years.
More than 2 million crimes were reported by the SAPS for the twelve months between 2010/2012.
Nearly 16000 people were murdered in SA in the twelve months between 2011/2012.
KZN is the highest murder province in South Africa. Then the Eastern Cape followed by Gauteng .
Over 400 drug related crimes reported daily.
Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape reports the more crime than any other precinct in the country.
There are 29 different crime categories used by the SAPS for reporting crime stats.
There are about 1118 precincts (police stations) in South Africa.

Stats and Facts Courtesy of:  http://www.crimestatssa.com

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Product Review: The Super Sneak - Hidden In-Ear Audio Receiver Kit

We have found a super awesome Spy product for you to purchase and its the The Super Sneak - Hidden In-Ear Audio Receiver Kit. Here is the review and what we think of it:

This wireless earphone receiver kit is extremely well hidden very hard to detect in our opinion. The device uses a miniature ear bud that fits perfectly inside your ear with only a clear stem sticking out about a ¼ inch so you can safely pull it out of your ear. If you’re looking for a covert spy device then we are sure that you will love it! Its also comfortable and fits super snug.

So how does it work? It’s simple really and not rocket science thank goodness. The included walkie talkie sends the audio signal to a transmitter hidden inside the wallet. The wallet transmitter then sends the wireless signal to the mini ear bud where only you can hear the audio transmission. Still with me? You only need to carry the wallet and wear the discreet ear bud to receive audio instructions from your partner-- no bulky receivers or messy wires to ruin your day either.

This is the same technology undercover FBI and CIA agents have been using for years and is perfect for privately receiving instructions without anybody knowing the better. Naughty naughty!

Here is what is in the box:

Walkie-talkie
Earbud
Wallet Receiver
Antenna
Carrying Strap
Clip mount
AC charger
Battery
User Manual - English

Click on this link and buy this product now for an awesome price from Spy Shop SA! Rating 8/10. Comfortable, sneaky, practical and very FBI-like!

http://www.spyshopsa.co.za/whats-hot/the-super-sneak