Holidays are great times for family and friends to meet together and share in the spirit of thanksgiving and service. However, for many people, holidays also are a time for crime. It has statistically been shown that holidays bring with it an increase in crime rate.
Most police officers will agree that Thanksgiving and Christmas are the worst times for fraud crimes. Criminal activity normally starts to increase the week of Thanksgiving, peaks during mid-December, and dies down the month of January.
Be careful of your surroundings over the holidays. It doesn’t take a lot of thought or effort to steal credit card or bank account information now-a-days. Thanks to current technology, it is possible more than ever to steal someone else’s personal information and identity.
Take steps to protect yourself this season. Keep your card face down when it is out of your wallet, and put it away once it is scanned. You never know if the person standing behind you in line is thumbing your credit card information into their phone, or taking pictures of it for future use.
Another way to keep your personal information protected is to keep all potential information out of the trash. Shred all personal information before throwing it away. You also never know who will be digging through you trash looking for their next victim.
Many critics feel that the spike in criminal activity will be worse the next few years. The reason is because of the economy. Many people have been laid off or have seen a decrease in work loads, and statistically that means that less and less ethical choices are going to be made.
Protect your home from break-ins as well. An increase in break-ins also happens during the holidays. Alert your alarm company so they know they need to watch your home more carefully while you are away.
Holidays are great times that people look forward to every year. However, for many criminals this also is a popular time. Be careful this season so you don’t become one of their victims.
