The holiday season can be a hectic, busy and stressful time, but it’s important to be vigilant. Here are some helpful safety tips to get you through the holiday season:

Vehicle Holiday Safety

• Park in a well-lit area
• Don’t leave anything valuable in the car
• Store shopping bags in the trunk, out of sight
• Ensure you lock your car
• Have your keys in hand when walking to your car
• Be observant of your surroundings

Shopping Holiday Safety

• Keep purse close to your body or wallet inside coat pocket
• Avoid carrying large amounts of money
• Use one credit card to make all purchases, avoid risk of credit card compromised
• Don’t argue or fight over an item
• Save your receipts and check your credit card billing activity
• Minimize amount of bags, try to consolidate

Travel Holiday Safety

• Don’t leave home unguarded
• Ask neighbors or friends to check mail, packages, newspaper or other deliveries
• Avoid advertising travel plans on public platforms, social media like Facebook, Twitter…
• Consider investing in a professional home security system
• Avoid aggressive and angry drivers
• Don’t drink and drive

Online Holiday Safety

• Choose retails you know and trust, preferably shopped before
• Avoid using a debt card, difficult to dispute
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi to make purchases
• Check website security, ensure transaction are place over secure server (URL starts with “https” not “http”)
• Make sure you create strong and unique passwords
• Research business you haven’t purchase by checking customers review or complaints with Better Business Bureau

Please take extra precaution and protect yourself during this holiday season. We hope you find these tips useful. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.