Social-Media Thieves Lurk at Basel - Expert

RAPAPORT...Baselworld exhibitors should be vigilant of thieves who lurkoutside the show or scour social media for information that can help them stealgoods, a security group has warned.Every year, there are reports of traders leaving theexhibition area with merchandise and subsequently being robbed, according toItay Hendel, CEO of Israel-based ISPS, which specializes in theft prevention for the jewelryindustry.In addition, dealers have posted details on sites such as Facebookand Instagram about their participation in the fair, their products, and eventhe hotel at which they were staying. By doing that, they have invitedcriminals to target them, Hendel cautioned. "Skilled gangs of robbers monitor social networks, and,based on information that the exhibitors post, the robbers have attacked,robbed and even burglarized hotel rooms that the exhibitors were staying at," hesaid in a statement this week. "There is a reasonable chance that various gangswill also operate at the Basel exhibition, both in the exhibition area, and bysurveilling exhibitors at the end of the day [or] exhibition." Visitors at this year's show, which begins next Thursday,should avoid posting personal information on social networks, and should keep their business and private profiles separate, he added. They should also refrain fromposting pictures and information about their accommodation, disclosing wherethey are at a given time, or publishing any images that include exhibitors'faces, he continued.Baselworld'sorganizers did not respond to a request for comment.