You better watch out.
Crooks know when you’re not at home, leave things unattended in your car or are ripe for Web scam skullduggery. Hold onto your merry ideals, but try to have a wary Christmas, too.
Over the years, the Northeast Times has asked cops, prosecutors and Internet security experts for tips on not being victimized for the holidays.
Their advice, distilled here, boils down to two words: Be careful.
Doesn’t sound like sage counsel, does it? But, perhaps it’s wiser than you think. People who might exercise the day-to-day care of locking their cars and their homes can get caught up in holiday zeal and leave their gift purchases in the back seats of their cars, click on virus-infested Web deals, donate to phony charities or give out personal information over the phone.
Let’s start in your home. Keep your wrapped presents out of sight. Burglary is a persistent problem in Philadelphia. If you put your gifts out under the tree early where anybody peeping in a window can see them, you’re offering burglars a holiday bonanza that might be too tempting to bypass.
Also, don’t advertise what you got for Christmas. The boxes for your new plasma TV or that computer printer the kids wanted should be cut down and turned inside out before they’re put out for recycling.
SHOPPING STRATEGY
Don’t toss your holiday purchases in the back seat of your car and leave them there while you go back to the stores. If you must keep your bags in your car, put them in your trunk.
Also, have your keys separate from everything else. Stephanie Ahrndt, the 2nd Police District’s victims assistance officer, explained that if your wallet or purse gets lifted while you’re out shopping, at least you’ll be able to drive home and get into your house.
Consider using prepaid cards, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams suggested. They have the same anti-fraud protections as credit cards and help you stick to your budget. And, the DA said, leave your Social Security card at home, and don’t give out the number. Your Social Security account is the “magic number” prized by identity thieves.
If you turn away from a smartphone you put down on a sales counter “for just a minute” or an open purse in a shopping cart, you run the risk they won’t be there when you turn back. Thieves are watching for people to make those mistakes, and they are a lot faster than you imagine.
Watch out for people who try to bump into you when you’re weighed down with packages. Step away from people you don’t know as they draw close to you. They might want to put their hands in your pockets.
Most modern cars have remotes that allow owners to sound their car horns by simply pressing a button on the key fob. Hitting that button might help you find your car in a parking lot; it also will draw attention to your car if you see any suspicious characters nearby.
SURF SEASON
Many people don’t see the inside of a store during the holidays. They surf the Net for gifts, so all the precautions outlined above don’t mean much to them.
But Internet shoppers are vulnerable to phony websites, bogus offers, charity cons, Internet hoaxes, illegal job offers, imaginary vacation packages, virus-soaked e-greetings and fake virus-alerts, all of which are set up to steal personal information.
There are some common-sense Internet shopping dos and don’ts:
• Stick to doing business on sites you know. And make sure you’re really on those sites. A typo might land you on a look-alike Web page operated by crooks who are trolling for credit card numbers and other personal information. “You might be tempted by amazing deals on sites you never heard of, but it’s safer to stay away,” Williams said.
• Don’t use your debit card online. If it is linked to your bank account and it gets hacked, you’re setting yourself and your account up for trouble from crooks.
• Make sure your computer anti-virus program and firewall is up to date before you shop online.
• Don’t click on anything sent to you by anybody you don’t know.
• Don’t give any personal information over the Web or over the phone.
• Beware of virus alerts that pop up on your screen. You might actually introduce viruses when you open those prompts.
• Make sure you understand refund policies, delivery times and shipping costs. Exorbitant shipping fees might make a ripoff out of what looked like a deal.
• Be wary of special appeals for charities. If you want to donate to a specific charity, don’t do it by answering an email that just arrived in your inbox. Go to the charity’s site or call it to learn how to best contribute. Con artists pounce on all that good will that floats through the holidays.
• Use different passwords when you create online accounts, Williams suggested. If you use the same one all the time, then you’re making it easy for the crooks who find it out to have access to your other accounts.
• Print all receipts and emails to verify your purchases.
• Your laptop might open you up to trouble while you’re traveling. The Times has reported that hotel and airport wireless networks are open to everyone, and the data going through those networks is not being encrypted. Anyone sitting on those networks might get access to your personal information.
Under federal law, Williams said, if someone steals your credit card, you’re responsible for only the first $50 of unauthorized charges. If you notify your card issuer before the thief makes any purchases, you might not be liable for anything. You’re also free from liability if unauthorized purchases are made when the card is not physically present. Your credit card might not have been stolen, but a crook might have learned the number.
Debit card rules are similar. Your liability under federal law is limited to $50, but only if the card loss is reported to the issuer within two business days. You can be held responsible for as much as $500 if you put it off. ••
