Holiday Safety

SHOP SAFELY

• Keep your purse close to your body - in front of you where you can see it - and cover the clasp or flap with your hand or forearm. Don't carry open-weave bags or purses without flaps or zippers - these are easy marks for pickpockets.
• If you carry a wallet in your clothes, keep it in your front pants pocket or coat breast pocket.
• Walk confidently. Be alert - notice who passes you and who is behind you. Be especially mindful of pickpockets on crowded busses and trains and among crowds of holiday shoppers.
• Don't overburden yourself with packages that may make it difficult for you to keep track of your purse or wallet or to respond to a personal threat.
• Teach your children to go to a cashier and say they are lost if they get separated from you in a store or shopping mall. Tell them never to go to the parking lot to look for you or the car.
• Don't leave packages or other valuables on the car seat where they can be seen. Lock them in the trunk.
• When you use your credit card to make a purchase, keep your eye on it to be sure that it's used to print one slip only.
• Always tear up the carbons after signing a credit card slip. A crook could take the carbon from the trash, copy the number, and use it for mail-order or telephone purchases.

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PROTECT YOUR HOME

• Don't display gifts where they can be seen from a window or doorway.
• Be extra careful to lock doors and windows when you leave the house, even if only for a few minutes.
• If you go away, get an automatic timer for your lights and radio. Turn down the bell on your phone. Ask a neighbor to watch over the house, shovel snow, pick up the mail, and park in the driveway from time to time.

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BEWARE OF CON GAMES AND FRAUDS

• When someone asks you for a donation on the street, ask to see official identification for the organization or the solicitor. Find out what the purpose of the charity is and how your donation would be used. Ask if contributions are tax deductible. If you're not satisfied with the answers, don't give!
• Give only to charities that you know. Check out the ones you've never heard of before, or those whose names are similar to a well-known charity. Ask for a brochure or other written documentation describing the charity and how its funds are used.
• Be suspicious of charities that accept only cash. And when you send a check, make it out to the organization, not to an individual.
• When a solicitor reaches you by phone, offer to mail your donation. Don't give out your credit card number over the telephone.

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