This Viral TikTok Explains Why It’s Dangerous to Post a Photo Holding Up Your Keys After Buying a New Home
If you bought a new home and you want to share the exciting news on social media, you might want to change up the the classic new home announcements. You know, the ones with photos of the new homeowners standing in front of or inside their new place and holding up their shiny new keys. This viral TikTok explain why that type of photo can actually be dangerous.
In late October TikTok user Cathy Pedrayes (@cathypedrayes) posted a video warning new homeowners not to post a photo holding up their new keys. In the the now viral TikTok, which has already racked up nearly 8.7 million views, Pedrayes admits that even she's shared a picture of holding up her keys. But she explains that you should leave any keys out of the photo because there are "computer programs that allow you to recreate" them simply with a photo. "So treat your keys like you would any private information, and don't post [them]," she concludes.
One app that Pedrayes could be referring to is KeyMe. According to its listed features and other articles about it, it lets you order a key duplicate in the mail by sending a photo of the key. However, some of the more recent reviews in the App store say that particular feature is no longer available. Still, you don't even have to use an app to recreate keys. A few days ago, Pedrayes duetted a TikTok posted by @outdoorsports1 that shows someone using a phone to take a photo of a key next to a quarter, for scale. The person then tapes what appears plastic over the photo, and traces the key. After, he cuts out the key he traced and he uses unlock the door. So basically he just needed a sturdy piece of plastic and a photo to recreate a key.
Moral of the story? Reiterating Pedrayes, treat your house keys like private info and don't post images of them online. We promise your new home photo will still be Insta-worthy!
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