The holidays are usually a time of joy and excitement, but many people don’t realize they are also a prevalent time for theft and other dangers. With a massive swell in retail shopping each year during the holidays – primarily Thanksgiving weekend – more and more consumers are at risk.
From car break ins to stolen boxes off the porch or even identity theft, there are a variety of potential perils that threaten our financial security during the holiday shopping season.
To help you be more secure and avoid some of these risks, we’ve prepared a short list of tips to help you be more vigilant when shopping for the holidays.
Holiday Shopping Safety:
- Keep gifts hidden and locked in your vehicle when visiting multiple stores.
- If you wear a purse, secure it across your body or wear it tightly on your shoulder.
- Don’t carry large amounts of cash and always double-check that your credit or debit card is safe in your wallet or purse after use.
- Some shoppers get rowdy. Avoid confrontations and don’t reciprocate their behavior.
Do you plan to shop online? Be on the lookout for online risks too:
- Don’t conduct online transactions on public Wi-Fi like in a café or airport.
- Avoid questionable or insecure sites. If you are unsure of a site’s credibility or security, do not shop there.
- Look for sites with “https” in the URL instead of “http”. The “s” indicates that the website is encrypted, which means it is more secure and safer to share your information with.
- Use caution when opening retail marketing emails. Do not open spam emails, phishing emails or other similar scams sent to trick you.
- Be wary of deals that seem “too good to be true”. This might indicate that the product has some sort of defect.
Keep these tips in mind and share them with friends and family to help them stay secure during this time of year.