Many of us can’t wait to get out to the mall and retail centers — we’ve been cooped up for too long and now we want to make up for that lost time. The mall is a great place to get into the holiday spirit, do some shopping, snack on goodies, and enjoy the decorations. The mall may also be the place you lose the “happy” in your celebration. Thieves love to roam the malls preying on unsuspecting shoppers and ruining the joy of the season. Let’s take some steps to keep that from happening.
Scams
Go shopping with a friend because there’s safety in numbers; agree to watch each other the whole time you’re shopping. Carry a minimum amount of financial information — maybe one check and one credit card — and carry that information, along with your ID, in a pocket wallet, neck wallet or fanny pack. If you’d like a pocket wallet or neck wallet, e-mail me your address I’ll send you one (csjohnso@jeffco.us).
When you get to the mall, find a parking space as close to the entrance as possible and if you’re staying into the evening, park under lights. Pause for a moment when you get out of your car and note precisely where your car is parked so that when you return you can walk directly to your car without wandering around. Thieves watch parking lots for someone who seems lost. They will drive up to you while you’re wandering, one will jump out and grab what they can, and then they’re gone in a flash.
When you enter the mall and begin shopping, don’t become distracted or become engaged in conversation with a stranger who approaches you with a question. This is a ploy to get your attention so an accomplice can steal your packages or your wallet from a purse. When you’re waiting to pay at a checkout counter and it is crowded with others trying to pay, be especially vigilant; watch out for someone shoulder surfing trying to capture the information off your check or credit card. And be careful that someone doesn’t walk away with packages you’ve set down while you’re in the process of paying. Finally, never allow your credit card to leave your sight, whether at a checkout counter or in a restaurant. ID thieves can use a little device called a palm skimmer and with one swipe of your credit card, they can capture all your credit card information.
Ladies, a couple of words about your purse (this is why I’d like to get you a neck wallet). If you’re going to lunch (doesn’t a lunch out sound nice?), never drape your purse over the back of your chair. A thief can walk by, remove it, and keep on walking. And if you’re using the restroom, never place your purse or packages in front of your feet by the stall door. A thief can reach under the door, grab your purse, and you are not in a position to do much about it.
Carrying a lot of packages can be a distraction because your focus is on keeping your packages safe and not dropping them. You may get tired so you stop and set them down; you may want to look at something so you stop and set them down; someone may come up and begin talking to you so you stop and set them down. All opportunities for “grab-and-dash.”
I like to encourage shoppers to shop half the mall (first floor if it’s a two-story mall; half the mall if it’s one story) and then return to the car and place your packages in the trunk. To thwart thieves, who may be watching and waiting to break into your car when you go back into the mall, drive around to the other side of the mall and finish shopping the rest of the mall.
Remember, again, to note where you park your car.When you exit the mall for the day, walk briskly and with determination to your car. Ten feet before you reach your car, use your fob to unlock the doors. Put your packages in the car, get in the car and lock the doors. If someone should come up and knock on the car window, stating loudly that they need directions, keep your window rolled up and leave the parking area.
Finally, we all wish the January bills would never show up — we spent too much on the kids and the grands, again, and now the day of reckoning has arrived. The bills don’t go away by ignoring them. You must review your bank and credit card statements. If there are fraudulent charges on your bank statement, you have 30 days to notify your bank and the most they can hold you accountable for is $50; if there are fraudulent charges on your credit card, you have 60 days to notify your credit card company and the most they can hold you responsible for is $50. Don’t procrastinate.Here’s wishing you happy, safe and warm holidays with the hope that a few precautions will keep the “happy” as part of our greeting.
Article courtesy of Cary Johnson with Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. For questions or concerns, please call FRAUD HOTLINE: 303-271-6980.