Dangers lurk not only in things we collect but also in the ways we collect. Here are a few safety suggestions you might have missed.

I was told not to set the car’s GPS to find our house. Set it for a nearby landmark. My car returns to the school at the corner. If someone steals your car, the thief can set the GPS to return to your home, then break into the empty house and steal your antiques. The car registration in the glove compartment may include your address. Some states now send a car registration form without that information along with the full registration to keep at home.

If your vintage furniture and your collections are near windows that open to the street, close the curtains when you turn the lights on at night. Don’t post anything about a trip you are planning on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media. And don’t discuss leaving at the beauty parlor, health club or with other groups of people you don’t know well. The folks near the corner went on a two week cruise. Neighbors noticed their car driving in and out of the driveway a lot but ignored it. When the family got home, they found thieves had taken almost everything small enough to fit in the car, including the collection of jade figures that could be seen from the street. The thieves had plenty of time. Nosy neighbors can be a safe guard. And while buying antiques on a trip, be aware of fakes and stolen artifacts, especially overseas. The government has lists of thousands of cultural objects stolen from museums and sites in Iraq, Syria and other countries. Customs officials are looking for these things and they will be confiscated.

Your garage door remote should never be stored in a purse or cup holder near your driver’s license or anything that gives your address. And when you get out of your car to park, get gas or wipe the snow off the windows, lock the doors. I have a friend who parked at a winter antiques show, bought an expensive bronze statue, and had it put in her car. She started the car and left it running to keep it warm while she brushed the snow from the back window. A man who saw her in the shop hopped in the front seat and drove away. The car was found the next day, and the bronze was gone.

Everyone, but especially collectors, should lock the house every time they leave. And close the garage door to protect bicycles, tools, flower containers and stored collectibles. If there is a door to the house in the garage, be sure that is locked, too. And be grateful for the affordable security systems, motion detecting lights, alarms, cell phones and other technology that help protect families and collections.