Tips for Christmas gift buying safety

Unbelievingly the Christmas season is here, which means the gift-buying season is here as well.

With that in mind, the traditional Black Friday that is held on the day after Thanksgiving still takes place, but stores have already started their Black Friday sales.

As a result, many gift buyers are either venturing out to malls and stores, or taking an easy way out and purchasing gifts online.

Shopping can be nerve wracking, but it is enjoyable in trying to find the perfect gift for loved ones to open at Christmas.

As a person is shopping, it is important to be aware that there are those out there who are looking for the opportunity to take advantages of a shopper and commit theft in the process.

During this time of the year, thieves take advantage of the hustle and bustle created by large crowds in stores and malls. Also, they know that the police are overloaded at this time of the year and there is a greater chance of pick-pocketing, stealing gifts from an unaware shopper and breaking into vehicles in the parking lot.

Shoppers should follow safety tips that include:

• Shop with friends or relatives and try to do so more during the daylight hours.

• When shopping at night park in well-lit areas and avoid having difficulty finding your vehicle after shopping by either making a mental note of where you parked, or take a photo before going into a store to shop.

• Keep your keys in your hands when carrying your valuable items and check around and under your vehicle when approaching it after you have shopped.

• Dress casual, avoid wearing expensive jewelry when shopping and place the more expensive gifts in less noticeable bags.

• To prevent purse snatching or pick-pocketing – women should wear their purse with a strap across their body or have a security pouch around the waist. Men should place their wallet and cash in a front pant pocket.

• Make your purchases on one credit card and save receipts and monitor your credit card activity. If you discover a credit card missing, notify the credit card company as soon as possible. Avoid using a debit card.

• Review your bank and credit card statements often and when writing a check, only include your name, address and phone number.

• When shopping, be aware of your surroundings and stay off the cell phone.

• Hide purchases out of view when placing them in your vehicle.

• When eating in a mall’s food court, keep your shopping bags, purse and wallet close to you, or below the table.

Online Shopping Safety

Many shoppers have chosen to do their gift shopping online, instead of dealing with large crowds in stores.

Online shopping is very easy and convenient, however there are certain safety precautions to follow to prevent a thief taking advantage of you.

Some online shopping safety tips include:

• Always shop at stores and online retailers you know and trust.

• Buy name-brands who have a strong reputation.

• Do not trust email or online advertisements.

• Christmas online shopping can allow the shopper some veritable and extraordinary offers, but check out the website before purchasing. The more reliable the brand and more secure the URL is, then it is most likely to be legitimate.

• When shopping online, look for https URL and the padlock symbol. This is an online safety measure that encrypts information to keep data private and protected. The text in the URL should be preceded by a padlock.

• Be aware of offers that are too good to be true. They may look enticing, but can be away of luring you into a scam.

• Always pay close attention to your financial records, such as bank statements and credit card transactions.

• Know that, although public wifi and computers can be convenient, they are usually not very secure.