Thieves use Facebook to rob empty British homes

LONDON, UK: Thieves in Britain are inviting Facebook users to become "friends" in order to find out when they will go on holiday so that they can rob their homes, police said.

Burglars in West Sussex are robbing homes after they find out about the holiday plans, the Daily Telegraph reported. At least 12 houses have been robbed in the past four months.

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Authorities have urged people not to reveal their holiday plans on the website.

All of the robberies have taken place when residents have been away for at least two weeks, police said. This gave the thieves ample time to plan out the robbery.