As summer holidays continue, many community management bodies in the UAE are urging vacation-goers and expats returning home to take appropriate safety precautions before leaving for the extended break.
Emaar, for instance, has been sending out a circular which lists a few essential tips, advising residents to implement them as part of ‘home security measures before travel’.
Additionally, they have installed boards at the community entrance gates that clearly outline dos and don’ts.
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Safety circulars and security hotline numbers
Springs resident Arijit Nandi said, “Ideally, if someone stays back that is best but that can not always happen. I also feel that if the house is empty, one light should be kept on and the locks need to be checked thoroughly. Particularly, the doors of the backyard must be locked and residents should ensure that there are no water leakages.”
“It is always wise to keep an extra pair of keys with someone staying back in the Emirate. In case of an emergency related to your unit, when you are out of the country, then that person can come and open your apartment or villa,” Nandi added.
Recalling an incident that happened a few years ago, Nandi explained how he discovered that two of his cars parked in the home garage were severely damaged.
“We have open car ports and upon our return from a long vacation, we realised that someone had accidentally hit our cars while reversing. But the compound’s security personnel could not get in touch with us because they did not have our phone numbers. Therefore, I now prefer informing our neighbours while away, so that they can keep an eye out and get in touch with us in case of emergencies.”
Warnings against social media travel posts
Earlier, the UAE Public Prosecution warned travellers against posting travel details and photos on social media.
The authorities had highlighted a case where a resident was robbed after he posted his travel plans online.
More recently, in March 2024, an Irish family had burglars breaking into their villa at Al Furjan while they were away.
“Irrespective of whether pictures are gram-worthy or not, we prefer sharing it with our family and friends on WhatsApp only, particularly when we are travelling. I don’t feel the need to become obsessed about everything looking like a Pinterest mood board” added Nandi.
While the desire to share holiday experiences with loved ones may be strong, a simple mistake in sharing photos could expose homeowners to risks.
The Indian expat said, “Many social media platforms allow you to tag your location when you post a photo and people often do it. But this reveals your current whereabouts, indicating that you are away from home. I would not want to take that risk, no matter how safe the city or neighbourhood is.”
Use ‘close friends’ feature for Instagram stories
Others who post on social media platforms like Instagram explained that they use its close friends feature for stories to limit who sees these updates, sharing them only to a select group.
Filipino expat Felizze Faye Navarro said, “I ensure my privacy settings are configured to limit who can see my posts. People must consider making their profile private. I refrain from mentioning exact travel dates or specific locations that could indicate my absence. We also try and implement security measures at home, such as asking a trusted relative or neighbour to keep an eye on our property and using smart home security systems like cameras.”
Many highlighted that they must also keep an eye on their social media accounts for any unusual activity, such as unrecognised logins or messages, which could indicate someone is monitoring their absence.
Deliberately delay posting
Leen Haffar, a Syrian expat who lives in Business Bay said, “Although I live in an apartment and the building has security cameras, as a rule, I always post pictures on Instagram only once I am back from a trip. Dubai is a very safe city but stray incidents can happen. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Regular posting from a different location can create a pattern that indicates one is not at home. This could be exploited by individuals with malicious intent who monitor social media for such opportunities.
“Therefore, I feel one must consider waiting until returning home to share photos, rather than posting in real-time,” added the 26-year-old resident.
Meanwhile, residents expressed varied opinions on this explaining why they felt safe about posting online.
Al Ghadeer resident, Shylou Canuel Lim, said, “I do post photos of me and my family while we are away on vacation but provide minimal information such as location and duration and don’t mention when I will be coming back home for multiple reasons.
“Even though there have been burglary incidents in the past, I always ensure that I do what I need to do to ensure the security of my house and belongings.”
The community, somewhat isolated, is situated midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and features town houses and low-rise buildings.
“I ensure our home security cameras are working properly. We have several of these in the house, including in the backyard and garage. We make sure that all doors and windows are locked. Also, we put all our important documents and valuables in a safe,” said the villa resident.
JLT resident, Neenu Kamarudin, said, “I don’t refrain from posting at all because I am quite active on socials. Wherever I travel I keep posting; my pictures go up in real time. The question about security did not really cross my mind purely because in the UAE you feel safe and also because I live high up on the 14th floor.”
“Therefore there is that tendency to have a misplaced confidence (maybe),” quipped the resident who has called the UAE home for the past 14 years.
Kamarudin also stressed that posting these stories is crucial for her as it resonates with the people she seeks to connect with.
“I write about food experiences, family, travel aspects and try to motivate single moms like myself. It’s essential for me to post these experiences because it’s also important for the audience I am trying to reach.”