Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

The holiday season is a special time of year, but it is also a time when everyone becomes busy and possibly careless, making them vulnerable to theft and other crime. We can never be too careful, too prepared or too aware and ensuring you and your family, friends, and neighbors have a safe holiday season is a priority for the Novi Police Department.

Although Black Friday is behind us, the Novi Police Department wants to ensure everyone continues to have a safe and fun holiday shopping season and offers the following tips:

Safe shopping

• Have a shopping plan. Let someone else know what your plan is including when you intend on being home.
• Shop before dark.
• Coordinate shopping trips with friends.
• Lock your car and remember where you parked it. When you return be prepared to get in and go about your business; don’t loiter about holding packages.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash and don’t carry it all in one place.
• Be careful with wallets and purses.

Vehicle security

• Always lock your car.
• Secure your valuables in the trunk, store them out of sight, or take them with you.
• Before leaving your workplace, lock your laptop or valuables in your trunk in case you have to make a stop. You don’t want potential thieves to see you placing valuables in the trunk.
• Make sure all car windows are closed when the vehicle is unoccupied.
• After dark, park in a well-lighted area.
• If you have a car alarm, be sure to set it.

Protect your identity

• Only carry the Credit/Debit cards you will be using.
• Remember to sign your Credit/Debit cards.
• Cover your account and personal information as you hand it to the cashier. Speak softly to the cashier as you provide personal information.
• Guard any keypads as you enter your pin number.
• When using an ATM machine look around to ensure nobody is watching as you enter your pin number. Use only ATM machines that are located in well-lighted and populated areas.

Safe parking

• Be sure to lock your car.
• Keep any valuables left in your car out of sight. Preferably, leave valuables in your trunk.
• If you do not have a trunk, keep valuables out of sight by covering them or placing them on the floorboards or under the seat.
• Do not unlock your vehicle until you are close enough to scan the area. Look inside the vehicle before entering. Enter your vehicle as quickly as possible.
• When parking at night, park in a well-lighted area.
• Be alert when putting packages in your vehicle. Be aware of anyone watching you. If someone approaches you and you feel threatened get in your car and lock the doors until the person leaves the area. If the person does not leave, drive away.
• Return to your vehicle periodically to check on it. Do not carry so many packages at one time that you cannot react quickly.
• Move your vehicle to a different parking spot after putting packages in it.

Shopping online

• Use only reputable companies and websites that have proper security features. Secure sites have an address that begins with HTTPS://. Beware of pop-ups ads that lead you to another website or ask your personal information or account numbers.
• Do not give out your Social Security number, e-mail address, telephone number, or address unless you know who is collecting the information, why they are collecting it, and how they’ll use it.
• Save all transaction information.

The Novi Police Department wishes everyone a safe, happy and peaceful holiday season. For more information about the Novi Police Department, visit cityofnovi.org.

—The above information was provided in a press release.