The shopping mall parking lot or any parking lot is going to be a big place for crime to happen this year. Beware of people lurking around the entrances asking you to return something for them. They will have a really good, convincing story as to why you should do this for them, the item they want you to return is most likely stolen and that is why they will not do it for themselves. Or another possibility is they are already returned so much merchandise from whatever scam they are running that they cannot do it again for fear the clerk will recognize them. If you are caught returning stolen merchandise they most likely will not believe you were doing it as a favor for a perfect stranger and you are the one who will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If you didn't buy it don't return it.
Try to take someone shopping with you, even a child would be better than shopping alone and make you a less appealing target. Don't forget about the basic safety precautions like parking near the entrance, in a well lit area. Also, stop before leaving the store and make sure you have your keys out and ready. A lot of women get robbed while looking in their purse rummaging for their keys. Make sure when you walk out of the store, you look around and be aware of the people around you, hold your head up and look confident. Nobody is going to rob a lady who looks like she might put up a fight; they are looking for an easy target. If possible keep gifts you have bought from another location locked in the trunk of your vehicle or out of site, seeing a brand new WII or XBOX 360 sitting on the seat just a broken window away can be very tempting to a thief.
I was at a gas station a couple of months ago and there was actually a guy approaching people at the pump with a credit card asking people (me) to give him twenty dollars cash and he would put twenty five dollars in gas in my vehicle. This did freak me out a little because you can place a big bet on the fact that the credit card was stolen. I elected to tell him I had no cash on me and I went inside and pay for my own gas with my own card and tell the cashier what was going on so they could call the police. I also waited inside until they left then took the long way home making a lot of wrong turns praying I was not being followed. It was really scary.
Another really big scam is foreign people or people pretending to be foreign and can't speak English very well approaching you and playing on your vulnerability or sympathy. They will tell you they just got here and they don't know anybody, that they have no one they can trust and literally convince you that you are the only person in this whole wide world that can help them. They have this bag full of money and they cannot trust the bank, don't know how to fill out the forms or have no ID. Of course, they will never allow you to look inside the bag to confirm that there is any money in there, mainly because there isn't, but somehow they manage to convince people to give them what little money they have in their wallet or purse in exchange for the bag of what the victim (that would be you or anyone who falls for this scam) believes is money. Sometimes the victim actually leaves the situation thinking they just scammed a stupid foreigner when in fact they are the ones who got scammed.
Beware of people calling on the phone and asking for any type of personal information or credit card information. There are so many different types of phone scams it is unbelievable, but some of the most common are people telling you that you have won something or pretending to be from the utility company asking to update personal information or trying to get your credit card information.
Also be weary of anybody you do not know knocking on your door. They may seem like an innocent person asking you if you would like a widow replacement estimate or a magazine subscription, but in fact they could be scoping out your home. Checking out things like what time of day you are home and if you have a dog or not, they may even be hoping to see some valuable items like a big flat screen plasma TV or checking out your computer, don't ever let anyone you don't know into your home.
Also beware of the many internet scams going on right now, you did not win a foreign lottery, you are not a beneficiary of a wealthy foreign person who just passed away leaving you millions and don't respond to emails asking for your password for any account information. These are all just scams to try and get your personal information and evidently they must be working because people are still trying to use them.
Also because if identity theft issues make sure you shred or destroy all documents you need to get rid of that have your name, address, social security number or driver's license number on them. Some people have been known to go through the garbage looking for this type of information.
Also use caution when using your credit cards in stores. Now that cell phones have easy to use cameras built into them I have heard of people taking pictures of your credit card with their cell phone and getting your information that way, so again, pay attention to your surroundings and what is going on around you.
I hope you find this article helpful and it makes you more aware of some of the possible ways people may try to take what is yours. Don't be a victim this holiday season and always take safety precautions whenever possible.
