Black Friday 2017: Deals Could Lead To Holiday Steals

MIAMI, FL — With the busy holiday shopping season upon us, police are warning shoppers that Black Friday deals could lead to holiday steals if you don't follow a few safety tips.

"The holiday season brings out the best in people but it also brings out the worst," Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez told reporters ahead of the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.

Detective Lee Cowart of the Miami-Dade Police Department told Patch that police will have an expanded presence at area shopping malls with both marked and unmarked patrols under the department's Holiday Crime Initiative.

"We used to call it Grinch Busters," he told Patch. Cowart provided the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of holiday crime:

"Always be aware of your surroundings," he advised. "People who are aware are less likely to become victims."

For women, this means paying attention to how they carry their purses.

"Carry your purse over your shoulder and close to your body," he said. "Clutch it. Hold it over your arm and clutch it."

Men, on the other hand, should be careful where they place their wallets.

"Do not keep wallets or money in back pockets or in a backpack that can be easily opened," the detective warned, adding that people should know what's in their wallet in case it is stolen.

"Keep a list of all the contents in your wallet, including credit card numbers in a secure place," he said. "In the event that the items are stolen, this will facilitate the reporting process."

When shoppers leave the mall to go to their cars, he suggests keeping car keys in hand.

"If they do get the jump on you; if they do take your purse away, your car keys are not in the purse," he said.

Even pockets are not safe since pickpockets are making their holiday rounds too.

Jill Leiva finished her Thanksgiving dinner in Hialeah Gardens and then rushed out to a few Miami area department stores to pick up Christmas gifts for her two young boys and the rest of her family. She was back at the mall on Black Friday.

"I tried getting these items online last night but they were sold out," Leiva told Patch while shopping.

She said that she was careful to lock her car when she arrived at each location.

"I move the car after each store," she acknowledged.

That helped keep Leiva's packages secure, but another option was to use a mall concierge to hold packages, according to Cowart.

"In the old days we used to always go out to the car and put them in the trunk, but bad guys are looking for that very activity," he said. "You walk out to the car and you put the two Apple notebooks that you just bought in the trunk of the car and then they punch the lock in two seconds and take your valuables."

If you do leave valuables in your car, he said, shoppers should make sure they are out of sight or in the trunk.

"Make sure your vehicle is locked and windows are closed before you walk away," he said. "If you encounter vehicle trouble such as a flat tire while shopping, request assistance from security or return to the information counter inside the shopping center."

Finally, when using the ATM make sure you are not in a secluded location and try not to spend too much time in front of the machine.

"Go directly to your vehicle and avoid counting your cash while at the ATM," Cowart said, adding that a woman was recently held up by a knife-wielding suspect at an ATM. "Avoid carrying information regarding personal identification numbers and avoid carrying your social security card, passport or birth certificate, etc."

It's never a good idea to put up a fight if you are robbed.

Cowart said that one man was recently shot when he tried to resist being robbed.

"The minute he put up any kind of resistance at all the subject lifted a gun and shot him in the face," Cowart added.

Miami-Dade police posted video on the department's Facebook page of a random safety check at a Miami area shopping mall. Watch below as the owner of a Cadillac Escalade is surprised to learn what she did wrong:

Also See: Black Friday Early Bird Shoppers Get TV Deals

Shoppers line up at a Miami area J.C. Penney store on Thanksgiving night to get an early start on Black Friday. Photo courtesy of Jill Leiva.