Black Friday is this week (can you believe it) and thus begins the shopping frenzy! Unfortunately the season of giving is also the season of stealing. So we have some tips to help you protect yourself from thieves and keep your holiday merry!
- It feels good to give but make sure you are giving to a legitimate cause. There are people who go door to door for donations playing on those with a heart for the spirit of the season. If you have any reservations at all, save your donation until you have the time to check out the charity. Online tools like Charity Navigator are a big help! http://blog.charitynavigator.org
- Shop Aware. Black Friday means crowds of people looking for their next deal and thieves looking for their next victim. Below are a few tips for shoppers:
- Carry less cash.
- Wait to bring your debit/credit card out until the last minute.
- Consider carrying your debit/credit cards in radio-frequency identification-blocking wallets or sleeves to protect them from cloning.
- Keep your wallet or purse close to you. Backpacks and open style bags are a bad idea during the busy holiday shopping season.
- Store packages in the trunk to deter people from breaking into your car.
- When you head to the parking lot, walk with keys in hand and stay focused. Thieves will target distracted shoppers who are on their phones, talking to friends or loaded down with packages.
- Don’t brag about the perfect gift you found or the great deal you got on social media. Thieves stalk social media sites, like your posts and then try to rob you of your Christmas joy!
- When shopping online be sure that the sites you are shopping from are secure. If they have an https:// it means that the site is encrypted and will offer you better protection for cyber theft.
- Try to schedule deliveries of your online purchases for when you are home. If that isn’t possible, have them delivered to your office or if you are ordering from a major retailer opt to pick your items up in the store!
- Although it is picturesque to put your beautiful tree surrounded by packages in front of your bay window….it is like putting a flashing neon sign over your house saying “Hey, we’ve got great stuff in here, come and steal it!”
Wallkill Valley Federal Savings & Loan wants your hard earned money to go where you want it to go…certainly not in the hands of thieves. We hope that you have found this information to be a great reminder and we wish for each of you a very happy holiday season.
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