During the holidays, we’re often times busy and distracted. Here are five types of theft to watch for, and a few things you can do to help protect your purchases, personal information, or business, this holiday season.
Taking steps to protect your personal information, particularly during the holiday season, is key to preventing Identity Theft. Now and through the year be sure to:
- Monitor your credit report
- Review your credit card statements carefully
- Keep a close eye on your wallet and purse while shopping
- Carry only those credit cards you need, leaving cash, debit cards, and checks at home
To help Protect Your Car (and everything inside) from burglars during holiday shopping, it is best to keep all valuable items, including purchased gifts, out of plain site. Be sure to park in well-lit, safe areas, roll up your windows, and lock your doors.
If you are having packages delivered to your home, you can help avoid the risk of porch pirating by instructing drivers to drop them off in a safe location at a specific time, or opt to pick them up yourself from the nearest facility.
Retailers should be extra vigilant to Protect their Assets and Inventory through the holiday season:
- Evaluate daily transactions
- Review security cameras every day
- Conduct background checks on all prospective employees
Having strong Cyber Security Controls in place to protect your customers’ personal information is always important, but the busy online shopping season is a good opportunity to take stock of your risk management plan to ensure it adequately addresses:
- The level of sensitivity of the stored, digital data
- Evaluation of company systems, and policies to protect them
- Data breach incident response teams and procedures
- Restriction of access to only necessary employees
- Separation and protection of payment processing systems
All kinds of Cargo Theft — deceptive pickups, identity theft, misdirected loads, driver-involved theft, and facility burglary — increase during the holiday season. Taking a few extra precautions to help ensure shipments arrive at their intended destinations is the key to keeping cargo safe and secure. Remain on heightened alert throughout the holidays and be sure to:
- Check driver documentation and credentials closely before releasing shipments.
- Be leery of drivers arriving early for pickup, especially closer to the weekend, when criminals hope theft will go unnoticed until Monday.
- Ensure drivers are properly trained in on-the-road safety protocol — such as securing locking devices on trailers, not picking up hitchhikers, fueling prior to loading, calling for help if you see a disabled vehicle, and not discussing details about loads or pick up points with unauthorized personnel.
