Don’t Let The Grinch … Or Anyone Else Steal Christmas: Arlington Police Provide Tips For A Safer Holiday Shopping Season

Press release from the City of Arlington:

December 09, 2020

While you’re shopping for electronics, jewelry, power tools or other great gadgets to put under the Christmas tree for friends and family, the Arlington Police Department offers these tips to make your holiday safer.

Online Shopping

• Trust your instincts, beware of false advertising or phony websites.
• Shop with trustworthy sellers on secure sites only. Look for the HTTPS:// at the top of the website address.
• Price check before you buy and understand the businesses return policies.
• Use a credit card for purchases and make sure to check your cards recent purchases to confirm no unauthorized charges are showing up.
• Keep your antivirus software up to date.

In-Person Shopping

• Shop during daylight hours whenever possible. If you must shop at night, go with a friend or family member.
• Dress casually and comfortably.
• Avoid wearing expensive jewelry.
• Be extra careful if you do carry a wallet or purse. They are the prime targets of criminals in crowded shopping areas.
• Do not leave packages or valuables on the seat of your car. This creates a temptation for thieves. If you must leave something in the car, lock it in the trunk or put it out of sight.
• Always carry your Texas Driver License or Identification Card along with necessary cash, checks and/or a credit card you expect to use.
• Even though you are rushed and thinking about a thousand things, stay alert to your surroundings.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
• Keep cash in your front pocket.
• Notify the credit card issuer immediately if your credit card is lost, stolen or misused.
• Keep a record of all your credit card numbers in a safe place at home.
• Avoid overloading yourself with packages. It is important to have clear visibility and freedom of motion to avoid mishaps.
• Beware of strangers approaching you for any reason. At this time of year, "con-artists" may try various methods of distracting you with the intention of taking your money or belongings.

Package Thefts

• Use smart package lockers (such as Amazon locker) or convenience stores like the UPS store
• Have packages delivered to your workplace or office
• Install security cameras
• Require signature on delivery
• Require a vacation package hold if you are out of town
• Sign up for tracking alerts so you can arrange to be home when the package is scheduled to be delivered

After You Open Your Gifts

• Don’t make it easy for burglars to figure out which homes to target by putting boxes that identify their new gifts in plain view.
• Break down any boxes you are throwing out, put them in garbage bags.
• Mark gifts with your Texas Driver License or Identification Card number so they can be recovered if stolen (Do not use your Social Security Number).
• For items that cannot be marked with an engraver, photograph or videotape the items.
• Take a photo of your items with serial numbers send to an email account you set up to just collect this information or a secure cloud service.

Mark These Possessions

The items listed below are those most commonly stolen from homes, cars, and businesses:

• Bicycles
• Binoculars
• Camcorders
• Cameras
• Car audio systems
• Computer equipment
• DVD players
• Fishing rods, reels
• Golf clubs
• Guns
• Kitchen appliances
• Lawn mowers
• Mag wheels
• Microwaves
• MP3 players
• Musical instruments
• Outboard motors
• Radios Stereo equipment
• Telephones
• Tools (hand/power)
• Televisions
• Vacuum cleaners
• Wheel covers

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• Business

This press release was produced by the City of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.