The holiday season is upon us, and thieves are watching your every move. Whether you are online, in your home, or shopping at a brick and mortar store, it pays to protect yourself from people who mean you harm. You may think you have found the perfect hiding places to keep your valuables safe, but thieves are good at finding things fast. Don’t let them ruin your holidays.
Online Shopping
Credit cards are the most often used form of payment for internet shopping. Keep your accounts safe by never using the same password or username for those accounts. It makes it much harder for hackers to spend all your money to figure out various passwords to get to your accounts.
Never store your usernames, passwords, or banking information in the various stores you may be shopping. Although it is indeed safer to do so now more than ever, there is still a risk that’s not worth taking.
Cat Burglars
Burglary rates tend to go up during the holidays. If you want to stop thieves from ruining your holiday, keep your jewelry and other valuables where they’re most secure. Whether it’s precious antique opal rings or gold bullion, valuables belong in bank vaults, not bedroom closets. There is no safe place to store valuables in your home.
Packages on the Front Porch
Ordering Christmas gifts online is fun and easy to do. Unfortunately, it also attracts the newest type of shoplifter, commonly known as the package thief or porch pirate. Package snatchers are out in full force this time of year. They don’t know what is in the packages they steal, and they don’t care. They’ll find ways to unload it for cash. There are several ways to scare off potential porch bandits. It is ideal if you can be home when the packages are delivered, but that isn’t always possible. If offered by the store, choose store-pickup. Your order will be safe, and you can pick it up when you choose.
A second option is to send the package to your workplace if they allow it. It is an easy fix for a difficult problem. The worst-case scenario is that you have none of the above options. In that case, leave instructions for the driver to leave the package in a hiding spot around your home. It could be a spot behind the bushes or tucked under part of the porch.
If you ordered jewelry for delivery, it’s still important to remember that even if your home is broken into, your valuables are safe if they’re kept at a bank. As soon as you get the valuables, keep them at the bank and only retrieve them when using them or gifting them to someone.
Scammers
Scammers are the worst of the worst. They will send you emails, text messages, call you and send you mail. Sometimes they even show up at your door. The best defense for this type of thief is to block them. Remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. All of the above can be blocked from further contacting you except door knockers. If you believe someone is attempting to pull a scam, call the police and give them details about your encounter. It may just help another person who could fall victim to the holiday joy stealer.