5 Holiday Shopping Tips to Keep You and Your Items Safe
During this time of the year, last-minute shoppers are hurrying to carry home the last few items on their holiday lists. Unfortunately, many thieves are also out and about, looking to snag away one’s precious items. In this article, discover ways to keep your gift items safe and secure while shopping during the holiday season.
5 Ways to Protect Your Gifts
- Keep purchased items out of sight — Seeing an expensive item sitting unattended in a vehicle could prompt a thief to break the window. When you can, keep items in the trunk or hidden out of sight in the backseat.
- Lock your vehicles — Always keep your vehicles locked, especially when they contain expensive holiday gifts.
- Secure your money — Keep purses and wallets close to you at all times. Hide sensitive information such as pin numbers and credit card numbers.
- Keep receipts — Having receipts and serial numbers from everything you buy makes them easier to track if stolen.
- Add purchase to homeowner’s insurance — If the gift is especially large or expensive—such as art, jewelry, or electronics—consider adding it to your homeowner’s insurance policy.
Theft During the Holiday Season
Unfortunately, theft and robberies do increase over the holiday season. In fact, according to a report from Vivint, larcenies are 22% higher in December than all other months combine.
Based on data from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, larceny is the most common type of property crime between November 1 and January 30 with an average of 7,708 instances per month.
Further, with an increase of online ordering, theft of packages from front porches are on the rise. In fact, more than 25 million Americans have a holiday package stolen from their front porch or doorstep every year. With COVID-19 pushing shoppers to pursue online options, the number of thefts is likely to further increase.
About Thomas J. Henry Law, PLLC
Thomas J. Henry Law is one of the nation’s leading personal injury firms. For over 25 years, the firm has fought to secure justice and compensation for individuals who have lost loved ones due to the negligence of others and to prevent similar instances of wrongful death from occurring again.
If you have been injured in an accident or have lost a loved one to negligence, call Thomas J. Henry Law for a FREE case consultation. We remain open throughout COVID-19 with the resources and staff to handle your claim in person or virtually.
