Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

Always Put Your Packages in the Trunk of Your Vehicle

The holiday shopping season has arrived. Check out these 10 tips to protect yourself and your belongings:

1. Shop in a group with family and friends. Groups are less attractive targets for potential thieves than individuals.

2. Make sure your wallet/purse is secure. If you used a debit or credit card, make sure that it was returned to you and it is put away. Pockets with zippers are also a good idea.

3. If you pay with a card, make sure it is a credit card. Credit cards, which monitor spending habits, lower liability costs, etc., often provide more protection against fraudulent activity than debit cards. When using a debit card, your bank account balance is directly affected. It also sparks what can be a long investigation by your bank into the charges.

4. Always check the face of the credit card reader to make sure it looks normal as people will put credit card skimmers on the face of the actual card reader and get your credit card information.

5. Never walk out of the store without your keys in hand. You don't want to be standing in the dark trying to hold onto kids and packages while digging for keys.

6. Always put your packages in the trunk of your vehicle, not in the back seat where they are easily seen.

7. If shopping at night, park by a light, close to the door, and within view of a security camera.

8. Don't sit in your vehicle in a parking lot. Get in and go.

9. Take it slow and steady in parking lots. There are a lot of parking lot accidents this time of year because people are driving in unfamiliar shopping areas and are usually distracted or trying to hurry.

10. Shop online. If you won't be at home when packages are scheduled to be delivered, have a Plan B in place, such as asking a trusted neighbor to hold the packages for you. You can also request a signature upon delivery so packages won't be left unattended.