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| Written by Anna Milford, 2006 | |
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Page 2 of 2 Should I install a burglar alarm?It depends on where you live. A woman living in a flat, with key-holder only entry, probably does not need one, however a lone woman in a country cottage might be reassured since the noise scares off all but the most determined or desperate of thieves. Such devices can reduce insurance premiums, but frequent false alarms are very unpopular and if you have to go downstairs to the kitchen or the bathroom you may not want to set the alarm to ‘active’ during the night. Cost is another factor with even a simple system costing from around £800. There is also a school of thought that a burglar alarm suggests you have plenty worth stealing.Perhaps more important from the point of view of an elderly person on their own is a personal alarm worn around the neck and connected through the phone line to a central point. Operated by pressing a button, these monitoring systems have prevented many deaths through falls and other accidents. The cost of around £25 a quarter is well worth the peace of mind. The telephone A woman on her own should make sure her name in the phone book is an initial and surname only. Even with this precaution you can receive nuisance calls. These callers are excited by agitated or disgusted responses to obscenities or heavy breathing, so say nothing, replace the receiver, note the time and report to BT. If calls persist they will change your number, but think twice about going ex-directory, which makes contact difficult in an emergency. ScamsWith the computer age have come scams, ‘phishing’ and email cons, all cunning ways to try to gain bank or credit card details. Click on any ‘link’ and it could empty your bank account. No bank ever asks for confidential details over the Internet, so delete untouched any ‘updating our records’ requests, appeals to bank African fortunes, lottery draws or suspicious prize winnings. Identity fraud is also on the rise, so make sure you shred old bank statements or personalised offers to supply you with a credit card before you throw them in the bin. Companion or guard dog? |
