5 Surprising Places Thieves Lurk During Holiday Season

A release from Stoneham Safety Officer Joseph Ponzo:

I have wrote several articles stating how the holiday is prime season for thieves of all kinds. According to the Global Retail Theft Barometer, Americans steal from retailers to the tune of nearly $16 billion annually, with most of that being done during the holiday season. I have researched the five surprising places thieves lurk during the holidays and what you can do about it.

Firstly, the parking lot sees a large increase of car break-ins. According to Travelers Insurance Company, on black Friday alone, belongings, including purchased gifts, stolen from parked cars increases by about 20%. Consumers make it simple for thieves, by leaving their gifts in plain view in their motor vehicle, parking in low lit areas of the lot with little to no foot traffic and by just simply leaving their vehicle unlocked. These solutions are simple: park in busy areas of the lots with plenty of lighting at night, lock your gifts in the trunk of your vehicle or carry them around with you and lock and/or alarm your vehicle at all times.

Your Garbage Can! That's right your trash. According to Scott Cornell, director of investigative services for Travelers Insurance, thieves will go through your trash just to see how many high priced items you have received in your home from the holiday season. Then when the time is right, they will enter your home and steal those goods.

The receipts, boxes and tags give away the items. Very simply, throw out your trash the day it is to be picked up by the company. Keep your garbage in the garage or basement until the last possible minute. Remember, there is no expectation of privacy for any trash that has been discarded curbside and this is case law in Massachusetts.

Your Social Media Accounts. Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc., many of us like sharing our lives with others using these accounts. We post photos and chat about the things we are currently doing and/or going to do. But typer beware! Thieves will actually surf the net just to see when you are going on vacation, or when a loved one has passed away, just to find the right time to enter your home. I suggest posting some of these things after it has happened, rather than as it happens or is going to happen. Please tell your close friends this same thing for their accounts, because if you are "tagged in a photo" it's just as bad.

Your Front Porch! Fed Ex, UPS and the Postal Service are increasing their package deliveries annually and they delivers these packages right to your front step. Often enough, they are left out in the open for thieves to access and every year we have reports of those packages disappearing. See if a neighbor will be home who can hold on to the package or speak with the major delivery drivers, who are often the everyday drivers for your area and have them leave it out behind your house or an area that is known to only you and the driver.

The Register and Other Points of Sale! We all know about the data breaches that occur just about every day, but what you don't realize is that the hectic shopping season brings out the forgetfulness in many of us. Consumers always leave their credit card or debit card on the counter and often don't even realize it till days later. Unfortunately, thieves don't need days to use your card. Consumers should always try and use a credit card rather than a debit card at the register because there are more protections built in for credit cards. Many people don't realize this, but if your credit card is breached and used, you are only responsible for only $50 of those transactions regardless of the amount and quite often, the credit card company don't even require that $50 to be paid.

Please keep in mind these 5 surprising places that thieves lurk during the holiday season and the steps that you can take to prevent becoming a victim.

Remember Safety First!