Safety Tips For Holiday Shopping Season
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The District Attorney's Office and Philadelphia Police Department want to remind shoppers and employees to be safe during the holiday shopping season.
Officials have offered helpful tips to help take away the opportunity of shoppers becoming victims during this holiday season.
Authorities are warning consumers to be mindful of new scams that have emerged:
- Used gift cards
- One day only bargain emails
- Fake auctions /classified ads
- Steeply discounted electronic stores and
- Parking lot bait and switch scams
And of cybercrimes that you should continue to look out for:
- Malicious mobile apps
- Fake Facebook promotions and contests
- Fake antivirus software
- Holiday screensavers, ringtones, e-cards
- Mac Malware
- Online coupon scams
- Mystery shopper scams (see related story) and
- Wrong transaction malware emails
Officials advise that you ensure that organizations advertising or requesting information from you are legit businesses and to be careful when and where you use your debit card.
Authorities suggest that debit cards not be used:
- Online
- For big ticket items
- In restaurants
- At gas stations and
- At checkouts or ATM's that look "off"
Authorities suggest that people should only download mobile applications from legit app stores and be careful when going through email, accepting friend requests on social media and clicking on promotional ads through social networks.
Officials also ask that customers be safe while shopping in order to minimize crowd related injuries. Safety guidelines have also been set for retailers. For more information on these guidelines visit: www.osha.gov.
