Guard Against Grinches—How To Protect Yourself From Theft This Holiday Season

Guard Against GriNches How To Protect Yourself This Holiday Season Christmas Is A Popular Season For Criminals The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans spend over $465 billion on holiday items each year Retailers lose $8.9 billion to crime every holiday season Most burglars look for something they can sell for cash Residential burglaries usually happen during the daytime, when the victims are at work In the U.S., a home burglary happens every 13 seconds Police on ly solve 13% of reported burglaries Prevent Credit Card Fraud Since consumers spend so much money during this time of year, identity theft dramatically increases during the holidays. Here's how you can protect yourself. Review Credit Card Statevevis requenily Keep track of every purchase you make during the holiday season and see if it matches up with your credit statements. If you notice a discrepancy, contact your credit card company immediately. Avoid Paper Credit Card Stetexevis Some identity thieves get the material for their dirty work by sifting through your mail or garbage for credit card statements. You can protect yourself from these dumpster diving grifters by either shredding all correspondence from your credit card company, or switching to electronic statements. Password Profect Your Phove Your smartphone has a wealth of sensitive information that identity thieves would love to get their hands on. Keep your phone secure by requiring a password to get past your lock screen. This way, if your phone ever gets lost or stolen, your personal information will be inaccessible. **** Prevent Theft Dortileeve Holiday Gitks NYour Car! After buying presents from brick-and-mortar stores, take them straight home. If you leave them in your car while while running other errands, eagle-eyed thieves mightspot (and snatch) them. Requtre a Stayature Wher Shippba Packeges If you send gifts through the mail, ask for the "Signature Confirmation" option from the parcel service. This way, the delivery person will only drop off your items if they receive a signature from someone at the residence. Ask Maghbors to Pick Preserts up Fer You If you've done your holiday shopping online this year, and are hesitant to requestsignature confirmation for your own packages, ask a neighbor who might be home on delivery day to pick up the presents for you. You can track your purchases to see when they are expected to arrive, and ask your favorite neighbor to accept the items on your behalf. Have Packeges Delivered to You at Work, Alternatively, you could simply ship your items to your workplace. That way, you can actually receive your packages in person. Dont Brea Olive AbootGifis Yo Received Posting brag-worthy pictures of your presents on Facebook might impress your friends, but it also tells thieves that you've got a lot of brand new trinkets at your house for them to steal. Doaneyt Everyihiegou Purchase Should the worst happen to your holiday presents, you will need a complete list of everything that was stolen for the police report. Keep receipts foreverything you've purchased-both on and offline. Dot Put Preseris Out MPlaiv Stat Uil The Ba Dey You see a jolly holiday display, but criminals see an all-you-can-eat burglar's buffet. Leaving your gifts exposed means passersby can tell what high-priced presents you have in your home. Keep your gifts safely stored away until the big day to protect them from prying eyes. K Your Preserts Get Stole... Contact the Police IMMediztely The sooner you file a police report, the greater the odds are of recovering your stolen gifts. FInd Out R Your INsuraye Will Cover H Stolen presents don'talways mean thatall is lost. Most homeowners or renters insurance policies cover the theft of goods inside your home, including-holiday presents. Stay Safe Ad Happy Holidays! Sources Kcheckmate http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3511-consumers-pa y-holiday-retail-crime.html http://www.safeguardtheworld.com/statistics.html http://abcnews.go.com/WN/mailform?id%=14998335 http://business.time.com/2011/11/28/crooks-prey-on-uns uspecting-credit-card-customers/