Parents: Halloween Safety Tips for Teens

October 23rd, 2015

That oh so scary time of year is here again with Halloween right around the corner! Costumes, haunted houses, parades, tricks and treats, course, parties are awaiting us and our loved ones. Let’s face it. Of all the age groups, teenagers probably love Halloween more than most. They especially love spending Halloween night out and about the town with their friends and peers – leaving parents worried about what dangers they may face on the most frightful night of the year. So parents, how do you better ensure your teens Halloween safety when you’re not around?

Fortunately for you, parents, there are discussions you can have with your teen and technologies you can invest in for your teen that can help keep them safety, track their whereabouts, and give you greater peace of mind throughout the night. Here are just a few tips to help ensure a fun and safe Halloween night:

Set a curfew – Give your teens a curfew and call-in times when they need to check in with you and give you an update. Making your teen accountable for where they are and what they are doing. Oh and be sure they carry a fully-charged smartphone!

Get friends contact information – Be sure to ask your teen who they are going out with – and get first and last name, phone number and parent’s phone number in case curfew rules are broken. Halloween can be chaotic holiday – so arm yourself with as much information as possible to protect your teen.

Establish boundaries – Set limits (city or town limits, zip codes, county lines, etc) to where your teens can and cannot go. Some neighborhoods may have high crime and/or trafficking rates, and should be avoided especially on a holiday like Halloween night.

Download personal security app – To ensure they abide by curfews and boundaries without being a nag, we recommend to parents to download a personal security app to their teen’s smartphone. With a SmartTek app such as that offered though LifeFone Family Guard™ , once downloaded to your phone and your teen’s phone, you are not only able track your teen’s location right from your cell phone, but also have added security knowing that a 24-7 professionally monitored call center is ready to assist you or your teen in case of an emergency or cause for concern.

LifeFone’s Family Guard™ not only allows you to monitor real-time locations of family members, but also comes equipped with a personal panic button. With one press of the button, your teen is connected to the LifeFone call center which staffed 24/7 by professional monitoring personnel, who are able to quickly pinpoint their location and respond accordingly – often more quickly and accurately than calling 9-1-1.

Family Guard™ is a subscription app that is easy to use, intuitive and offers immediate access to assistance if needed. Download LifeFone’s Family Guard™ App for FREE on iTunes and Google Play.

Wishing you and your teens a safe and happy Halloween!

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Safety Tips for Real Estate Agents

October 6th, 2015

Believe it or not, real estate agents face many dangers in their profession. Private showings, listing appointments, hosting open houses, among others, are routine duties for a real estate agent and often involve one-on-one interaction with complete strangers. Crimes against realtors are referred to by a 2011 Realtor.org article as “crimes of opportunity”. They are targeted not only because of the valuable items they carry such as a cell phone, purse or wallet, but also because they drive up in a car and often show up alone.

Since you can’t assume that every client you meet with has the best intentions, real estate agents, especially women, need to be prepared to encounter the worst of the worst. Safety is key. Check out and share these safety tips for real estate agents that could help save a life:

BE INFORMED

Make sure to have all new clients or prospects complete an information form that includes the essentials like name, copy of driver’s license, vehicle information, etc. before scheduling a private showing. This way, you have all the information you need to file a complaint should that be needed.

BE AWARE

Before you meet your client for a private showing, take a drive through the neighborhood and look out for any potential hazards and/or people lurking around. Also, be sure to inspect the home prior to showing and identify the exits.

BE READY

Download a personal safety app to your smartphone that has a personal assistance button and GPS tracking. We recommend Mobile Alert™ and/or Family Guard™ by LifeFone, both of which are affordable, come with 24/7 professional monitoring, personalized user profiling and GPS tracking. Oh, and always keep your cell phone in your hand during a showing.

BE PREPARED

In the event that something bad does happen, you want to be prepared for the worst. Beef up your own protection with self defense classes and keep pepper spray on hand – best on a key chain.

BE AN UNATTRACTIVE TARGET

Leave your purse, jewelry – everything – but your cell phone and your car keys – in the trunk of your car. Place it in the trunk before you arrive to a showing or open house. Also, feel free to bring a friend, your dog, grandmother, and/or neighbor – with you. Criminals are less likely to attack if there are witnesses – or your dog is snarling.

Although these safety tips may seem a bit extreme, it is far better to be safe than sorry.

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Posted in Apps, Blog, Default, Family Guard, Mobile Alert, Personal Security, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Realtors, Safety, Safety Tips, Tips, women, Working | Comments Off on Safety Tips for Real Estate Agents

Why All College Students Need the Personal Protection Afforded by LifeFone Mobile Apps NOW

October 2nd, 2015

Not sure if you’ve heard but, there are two new apps on the block – LifeFone’s mobile personal security aka mPERS apps – that can come in EXTREMELY handy for any college student. Mobile Alert™ and Family Guard™ by LifeFone – once downloaded onto your smartphone, may look tiny and insignificant in comparison to sophisticated Facebook, sexy SnapChat, and thousands of other apps, but they pack serious power – the power of a 24/7 professionally monitored response center. That’s right. These apps act as a personal security system similar to a home alarm system but do so when you aren’t at home – they accompany you wherever your smartphone goes which we all know is everywhere YOU go. Bathroom, grocery store, blind date…you get the picture.

So, obviously, we could all use a security guard with us 24 hours a day, but certain age groups – like college students – really need to arm themselves with this added layer of protection and emergency response. College students face a plethora of stress points including, but not limited to, academia, financials, unfamiliar environments, shared living spaces, communal areas, new and old friends, new and old love interests, etc., and can find themselves susceptible to illness, depression, crime related incidents, safety-risks and more once they embark on their collegiate journey.

With the push of a single panic button on your smartphone, LifeFone Mobile Alert™ and Family Guard™ are able to bring help to a student’s exact GPS location – all without saying a word. Family Guard has an added feature that includes the ability to monitor, in real-time, locations for family members. Both apps have a 24/7 monitoring center and are equipped with unique profiles on users, that are able to not only ensure that a student’s needs and/or issues are met, but also help ensure their safety if faced with the following potentially harmful and life-threatening issues and/or situations:

Physical and/or Mental Illness: Illness, whether physical or mental, can be debilitating and downright difficult to manage. With LifeFone, for those suffering from pain and/or depression, help is just a button press away. Having profiles on file enables us to send the right help – fast – to prevent further injury and/or self harm.

Physical and/or Sexual Attack: Physical and sexual attacks can happen anywhere – especially on college campuses and at off-site houses and parties, and when drinking is involved. With one press of a personal assistance button, the victim can call for help – and the closest emergency response team can be deployed to their location.

Disappearance and/or Kidnapping: Unfortunately, abductions can also occur anywhere – and at anytime. Family Guard’s personal assistance button combined with the ability for family members to monitor real-time GPS locations can mean the difference between your loved one returning or not.

Stalking: If you have ever had that feeling of being watched, you know how unnerving and downright scary it can be. LifeFone’s 24/7 professionally monitored call center is on hand to help. That’s right. A Mobile Alert operator can stay on the line as a virtual escort, notify friends or family members if requested, and if necessary notify authorities to make the user is protected.

Have other reasons to add to the list?

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