Holiday shopping safety tips

The El Paso Sheriff’s Office wants to make sure you are safe this holiday season.

“Unfortunately, this time of the year brings these criminals out to steal items,” Sergeant Christopher Paz with the El Paso Sheriff’s Office, said.

Sgt. Paz urges everyone to stay alert while shopping. “If you’re going to be out at night, do not shop alone,” Paz added.

The Sheriff’s Office released these safety tips to make sure you do not become a victim of crime while out shopping:

– Park in a well-lit area.

– Be aware of your surroundings before you exit your vehicle.

– Lock your car.

– Don’t leave valuable items visible inside your vehicle. Leave all your belongings and purchased items in the trunk.

– Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.

– Leave birth certificates, Social Security cards and other documents with personal identifying information at home in a secure place.

– Do not carry too many bags or packages at one time. Once you have purchased several small items, put them in the trunk of your vehicle and continue shopping.

– Do not shop alone, especially at night and always tell someone where you are going.

– Do not hesitate to ask a store security for an escort to your vehicle and report all suspicious activity to authorities.

If there is an emergency, call 911.

If you’re an online shopper, you can also become a victim. Makios IT director of technology Ivan Flores says your email will be targeted for cyber attacks. “If you see something, some emails from charges or products that you know you didn’t buy, disregard them,” he said.

Flores recommends shopping on websites that you are familiar with. “If you stick with big retailers, you will probably have the best chance of not having these problems,” Flores said.

Flores gave these tips to stay safe while cyber shopping:

– Use different passwords for every site you use.

– Never do online shopping one website without ssl encryption (i.e. https:).

– Never use hotspots while making purchases.

– Report any fraud to your financial institution.

Full report on ABC-7 at 6.