Bill Myers - March 02, 2008

Are you telling thieves when and where to strike? You could be if you use an 'out of office' autoresponder in your email.

Each week after we send this tip out, we always get several 'out of office' email replies.

These are often set up as a courtesy reply to let senders know the recipient has received the email, but won't be replying because they are away from their homes or offices for a week or two.

While in some cases these messages are necessary, they can also alert a burglar of unattended homes or offices.

Some of these 'out of office' replies actually include the home or office address (usually in the signature line of the message).

This makes it even easier for would-be crooks to find out when and where they can do their dirty work.

If you find it necessary to use an 'out of office' message, don't provide exact details of when you will be gone, and definitely don't include your home or office address in the email.

As a general rule, if you are working out of your home, you should not show your home address on your web site or in your email.

Using a P.O. Box is much safer, and won't provide crooks or disgruntled customers a road-map to where you and your family live.

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