“It’s that time of year again. Time for holiday shopping. Sure, it’s fun to go and buy presents for the people you love. Yet even in the midst of the positives this holiday shopping season, there are dangerous negatives as well. It’s the purse and wallet snatchers that shoppers need to look out for.”
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It’s that time of year again.

Time for holiday shopping.

Sure, it’s fun to go and buy presents for the people you love.

Yet even in the midst of the positives this holiday shopping season, there are dangerous negatives as well.

It’s the purse and wallet snatchers that shoppers need to look out for.

Loss prevention specialists from both Target and Wal-Mart said that during the holiday season their stores lose a significant amount of merchandise.

While neither store would release the exact amount of merchandise lost, they said losses are upwards of thousands of dollars.

These thieves aren’t just going after stores though – they are going after the shopper as well.

Around holidays there is an increase in crime, said officer Joann Boling, crime prevention specialist for the University of Akron police department. The holiday season presents itself with a lot crime of opportunity.

Holiday shoppers need to be aware no matter where they are shopping, whether it is in large stores such as Wal-Mart or as small as a vintage shop in their hometown.

There’s not one place more prominent than another, Boling said. People just need to be aware.

Boling said that there are many ways shoppers can protect themselves, their money and their packages from theft this holiday season.

The first thing he recommended was to go shopping with a friend. Using the buddy system is one of the best ways to avoid an act of crime.

Shoppers should also make frequent trips to their car to unload bags. The fewer packages a shopper has with them, the less likely someone will be to steal from them.

However, shoppers also need to be careful when walking to their car.

When putting packages into a car, shoppers should be sure to conceal them so that people walking by your car do not see everything.

The safest place to put your packages, according to Boling, is in the trunk.

Boling also stressed that everyone should be wary of scam artists.

People are more giving and generous during the holiday season and a lot of scam artists use this to their advantage.

If they don’t look or sound legitimate, then they probably aren’t, Boling said.

It’s great to be generous during the holiday season, but save your money for organizations that you have heard of and know are legitimate.

More simple tips offered by Boling include hiding your money.

If you bring a lot of cash with you while shopping, do not display it for people to see.

A way to avoid this problem is to not carry a lot of cash.

She also said shoppers should not carry all of their credit cards on them at one time.

You can limit the amount of cards on you by planning ahead of time, Boling said. You can also limit the amount of money and valuables you have on you.

If you know what stores you will be going to, or items you will be buying, you can decrease the amount of money and valuables to carry.

For instance, Boling said, If you know that you will not be shopping at Macy’s do not carry your Macy’s card on you that day.

That way if your purse gets snatched, everything won’t get stolen, Boling said.

It will also save you a little less hassle so that you do not have another credit card to cancel.

Should you happen to fall victim to a purse or wallet thief, Boling said there are two very important steps to follow.

Immediately call your bank and credit card companies and cancel your cards.

If you call right away the companies will know that any charges will not have been made by you and if the cards are cancelled the thief will not be able to use the card, Boling said.

Second, the victim should call the local police.

Boling said that the victim should be prepared with as much information as possible, such as the description of the thief, the last time you had your purse or wallet and where you last used your card.

If you are prepared with this information, it will help the police to use security tapes and work alongside your card companies to help track down the thief.

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