Holiday Safety Tips

Be on the lookout for phishing Websites. Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as user names, passswords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. When contacted about an account needing to be "verified" (or any other topic used by phishers), it is a sensible precaution to contact the company from which the apparently originates to check that the is legitimate. Don’t hit the reply button, though, as you may go right back to the thief!

Be safe when ordering on-line. Secure pages begin with “https” instead of “http”. A picture of a lock in a locked position should appear in your browser.

SCAMS What to watch for: Be careful when conducting financial transactions online.

Be wary of unsolicited s asking you to reply with your user name and password

Never reply to an by giving your user name or password! Don’t respond to s asking you to call a phone number to “update” your account or to access a “refund”” Because of voice over internet protocol technology, the area code you’re asked to call back does not reflect where the scammers are. When in doubt, call the number on the back of your credit card or look up the business number in the directory instead of calling the number provided or the link provided.

The address that the individual knows is the company's genuine website can be typed into the address bar of the browser, rather than trusting any hyperlinks in the suspected phishing message.hyperlinks Nearly all legitimate messages from companies to their customers contain an item of information that is not readily available to phishers. Some companies, for example PayPal, always address their customers by their username in s, so if an addresses the recipient in a generic fashion ("Dear PayPal customer") it is likely to be an attempt at phishing.PayPal

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Be wary of car break ins! Park in well lighted places and consider using credit cards instead of cash. Hold your purse closely and keep your cash in a front pocket or secure purse held close to your chest or between you and a friend or your kids. When accessing $ from an ATM, don’t stand and count your cash in public and always look around you before using the ATM.

If you are gift shopping and bring gifts to your car so you don’t have to lug them around, consider covering them with a blanket if you have a mini van otherwise lock the gifts in the trunk. Never go shopping while leaving a laptop, purse briefcase or backpack in the passenger compartment of the car. Thieves can break in to your car in seconds. If shopping with kids, make sure they know what stores you plan to visit and drill them to go to the nearest cashier or security person if they get separated.

While you are out shopping remember to leave lights on or have them on a timer as it gets dark early and dark homes invite burglars. Consider having a radio or TV on, too while you’re out shopping. If you plan on traveling be sure to stop the mail and newspapers. Ask your neighbor to keep your walk and driveway shoveled and ask them to drive into your driveway from time to time to leave tire tracks.

Holidays are also a good time to update smoke detector batteries and to take an inventory of your valuables writing down serial numbers and model numbers for your electronics, firearms, and power tools, as well as all of your credit card account numbers. In the event of a burglary or fire you will want to have that information ready at hand.

If you ordered gifts to be delivered, please track your order and be home in time to get the packages in your home. Ask your shipper to instruct UPS or Fed Ex or US Mail to put packages in the rear of the home or left with a neighbor who is home.

Bogus charities. Be wary of the emotional appeal for a worthy sounding charity. Before agreeing to give to an unfamiliar charity, ask for literature about it’s mission and goals. Reputable charities are more than happy to provide this to you. Be careful of the door to door charity solicitations. Ask to see credentials from the solicitor before giving to someone at your door. If a “charity” asks for your credit card information at your door or over the phone, have the request sent to you by mail so you can review it along with your other charitable gifts. Never give your bank account or credit card information out over the phone! If you have doubts about the charity, Call Minn. Attorney General’s Charity watchdog group.

Driving while under the influence of alcohol is a serious offense. Always consider an exit strategy before going to parties and banquets this season. Sober cabs are readily available and are far cheaper than the consequences of a DWI.