Many apartment dwellers choose to live alone instead of having roommates, and for good reasons. If you're one of them, protect yourself against crime by not advertising the fact you live alone on your outgoing answering machine or voicemail message.
Stalkers and other criminals may be quicker to break into an apartment if they learn that it has only one occupant.
If your outgoing message is similar to the following, read on for suggestions on how to change it:
"Hi, you've reached Jill at (212) 555-1234. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave me a message, I'll get right back to you. Thanks."
To prevent problems, change your outgoing message so that there's an implication that others may be living with you. You can do this in one of two ways:- Change "I" to "We." This way, you'll avoid indicating that you're the only occupant in the apartment. If any family members or friends are confused, you can explain you still live alone but are saying "we" in your outgoing message just for safety reasons.
"Hi, you've reached (212) 555-1234. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, we'll get right back to you. Thanks."
- Make it vague. If you feel funny about saying "we" when it's just you living in the apartment, simply tell people that "no one" can come to the phone right now. This is technically true even if you live alone, and it doesn't give any hint as to how many people live in your apartment.
"Hi, you've reached (212) 555-1234. No one can come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the tone. Thanks."
