Holiday Shopping Safety

Sylvia Carlan of Lawrenceville GA was shopping at Gwinnett Place Mall recently, when she did what most of us do when we go to the mall - she ate lunch at the food court. When she got up to leave, she noticed her purse was much lighter. Someone had lifted her wallet right out of it, and she lost $600 in cash, not to mention the headache of a lost credit card, insurance cards, and other important documents. The noisy, bustling food court is a perfect spot for thieves to do their 'work.' See Video Here

This is the time of year that we all need to be especially careful.

Here are some tips - some I have read or heard about, others are from my own personal experience. Of course, this is not a comprehensive list, so if you have anything to add, please post a Comment to benefit everyone by your knowledge!

• Don't count your money in a public place, especially near ATMs.
• Divide up your cash - some in your pocket, some in your purse, for example.
  
• Shop in the daytime whenever possible
• Don't leave your packages in full view in your car - lock them in the trunk.
• If you are shopping in different stores in the same shopping center, move your car even when you don't 'really' need to; this prevents someone from watching you stow your purchases and then waiting until you go back in the store to break into your car.
• Don't go digging into your purse for coupons, keys, etc while walking. Do that after you get in the store or in your car - don't walk while occupied with your head down. This makes you an easy target.
• Get your car entry key out and ready to use long before you arrive at your vehicle - preferably get the right key in your hand while you're in the store.
• Avoid using a purse whenever possible - keep wallet in a pocket close to your body.
  
• Get a loadable debit card to use instead of cash or credit card (offers the convenience of a credit card) I love the "Electric Orange" debit card I have from INGDirect.com - I decide how much to load on it - keeps me on budget and keeps loss at a minimum. I have all the credit card convenience but no interest charges. Even if someone cracks the code, they will only get what you have loaded into your card, they won't be able to deplete your entire checking account, because the money on the card is pre-loaded.

Tomorrow I'll have some "Cyber Monday" shopping deals for you, so make sure you check this blog before you do any online shopping. I am on so many stores' email lists, it's ridiculous, so I will have a lot of good deals to share with you. I may be able to post them later tonight, but I think some of the deals are definitely valid tomorrow only. If you are careful to shop at only reputable websites, shopping from home can be a very safe and less tiring experience!