Social networking sites have become the latest target for burglars as they seek out new targets, according to a report from insurance company Legal & General warns.

A survey of 2,092 social media users by British-based Legal & General found nearly four in ten, or 38 percent, of people using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter post details about holiday plans and a third of people have posted status updates saying that they are away for the weekend.

According to a survey sponsored by British insurance firm Legal & General and conducted by Opinion Matters, an independent pan-European market research agency - the report found that nearly half (48 percent) of respondents have no worries about the security or privacy of social networking sites

Coupled with the finding that an alarmingly high proportion of users are prepared to be 'friends' online with people they don't really know, this presents a serious risk to the security of people's home and contents, said the insurer in the report titled The Digital Criminal.

Around 23 percent of social media users surveyed said they have discussed holiday plans “wall-to-wall”—outside the privacy of their own page. Meanwhile, 17 percent of users reported seeing people's residential addresses posted on pages that can be seen by strangers.

Most men said they were not bothered about giving personal information online, with 13 percent including their mobile number on their profile compared with 7 percent of women. Nine percent of men also posted their address compared to 4 percent of women.

This reaction could result in a complete stranger potentially being able to learn about a person's interests, location and movements in and out of their home, said Legal & General.

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