‘Tis the Season to Be Wary
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for many of us. It's also the time we have to be the most cautious unfortunately, because thieves and scammers feed off the holiday shopping frenzy. We have a few quick tips to avoid falling victim to one of these crimes.
Whether you're at the mall or on the Internet at home, you're at risk. Here's a small list of things you can do to help guard against any such problem developing.
When Buying/Selling Online
- Check feedback. There are always clues attached to the insight someone else can provide from their previous experiences with the buyer or seller. Sometimes, the feedback tool is pigeonholed by policies such as that of eBay where sellers cannot review or rate buyers, and Amazon does not require any feedback from sellers about buyers, but there are message boards and websites where you can research a person's user ID, and find out what their selling or buying history might tell about them. It's often as simple as a Google search of the username.
- Try to use a method of payment, such as PayPal, that will ensure that you have protection in case the seller (or buyer) pulls any tricks or starts acting strangely, such as suddenly falling out of contact or becoming unreachable, or turning hostile or aloof - these are all red flags that something shady might be afoot.
- If I've said it once, I've said it several other times - never mark anything as a gift when sending a PayPal payment or a parcel across international borders unless it is unmistakably a gift, because you will not be able to dispute a payment send for goods if you send money as a gift and you can get in trouble marking items as gifts when mailing them abroad because it is simply and absolutely illegal.
- Speaking of customs - Buyers, make sure you know what your country's customs, duty, or value-added taxes are on items you buy from other countries, because chances are very good that you will have to pay taxes on importing these items, and you are wholly responsible for these charges; Sellers, make sure your listings inform customers that they are likely to incur these fees and taxes, so there are no surprises and so there is a place for you to point if they try to claim that you are responsible for these additional expenses.
- Don't psych yourself into jumping to conclusions. Things happen, circumstances change, and we all have occasions where we have to give an excuse, sometimes one that sounds outlandish and yet it's the truth. Granted, Internet scams often involve someone going to great lengths to deceive you with such excuses, but just because someone is out of touch for a bit or is less than accommodating while telling stories of a personal situation that's holding up their life doesn't mean their whole purpose is to take advantage of you. Sometimes jumping the gun causes more tension than you know. Be patient, stay reasonable, seek counsel from others who may or may not know the buyer/seller, and if you find yourself worrying or pacing, let the other party to the transaction know that you have concerns and that a valid tracking number or photo or simply a returned message would do a great deal to ease your mind and put your growing doubts to rest.
- If you've done all of the above, and you've gotten nowhere, take timely action and make sure you've documented correspondence between you and the other party (buyer or seller), even if it was by phone. Keep names, dates, addresses, and watch the marketplace for activity that might be a tip off that something is wrong. If any warning signs crop up, report them immediately - to eBay, PayPal, Amazon, or whatever company or administration the marketplace or forum has governing commerce through that particular site.
When Buying/Selling at the Store
- Even though computer crime seems absolutely rampant as the Internet is ripe with scammers searching for people to anonymously scam from the safety of their desktop computer, the truth is that the old-fashioned method of stealing is still the most popular. More thieves snatch your purse, wallet, keys, credit cards, etc. in the split second you look away while shopping than could ever target you online. I learned this lesson the hard way, because my wallet was recently stolen at work in a holiday-fueled spree of thefts in the area. So this is a warning for customers as well as the staff members who assist them. Watch your belongings. Keep track of your items and little ones at all times. Don't leave anything or any child to wander off without you for even a second. While in the workplace, beware of anyone roaming into areas where they have no business being.
- If the business where you are shopping/working has security cameras, park your car or vehicle as close as possible to the obvious coverage areas of these security monitoring devices. Vehicles are less likely to be broken into when they are in a well-lit, well-traveled section of the parking lot, and your more likely to catch a thief or vandal on film, if not in the act, if you are within sight of these cameras. Yes, it's the holidays, and that will probably prove especially difficult, but driving around waiting for the perfect spot to open up maybe worth it if your car is safer, and you can feel more secure while you're inside the store searching for the perfect present.
- Look at your credit cards. No, really, look at them. When a clerk, cashier, or waiter hands you back your card, make sure it's yours with your name on it. Before leaving the register or checkout area, make sure you have your card(s) accounted for. It's very difficult to juggle bags of presents or groceries, especially with children, and opportunistic thieves know it and wait for their chance to pick up a forgotten, dropped, or unnoticed card.
- Make sure you have the credit card numbers and any other important ID numbers written down at home or somewhere safe. Don't carry your passport, social security card, or all of your cards with you. Leave anything you won't need on that particular outing at home or locked away in a safe place. Keeping a backup credit or debit card for emergencies is also a good idea. Carry as little cash as possible. While credit makes it easier to spend a lot without comprehending how much you're spending, stolen cash is a total loss whereas credit can be restored since pretty much all credit card issuers have fraud protection, and you should not be held liable for any charges that were not made by you or an authorized user of the card. Cash, however, you will almost certainly never get back. With all this covered, you can save yourself a lot of trouble if something does get lifted or stolen from you - trust me, I just went through this ordeal, and after a lifetime of never losing track of my wallet, it was stolen in an everyday situation and environment, and as they say, so much wisdom comes from the beauty of hindsight.
If you do find yourself on the unhappy end of such a crime, report it to the local police immediately, no matter where it happened, no matter what was involved. The chances of recovering what you've lost after learning a horrible lesson the hard way may be slim, but if there's even a remote chance you can get back your money or get justice for what happened, that chance goes right out the window if you don't bother to file an official police report. You're definitely never going to get it back if the proper authorities don't even know it's missing. And reporting can help catch a thief further down the line to prevent others from becoming victims. Spread the word online if it happened to you on the Internet, and if it happened in a store, alert store management and security so they can keep a watchful eye for the predators should they return.
Amidst the hectic rush of the holidays, it's easy to forget your usual vigilance about your safety and security, but whatever happens, don't let the petty crooks steal your holiday spirit and Christmas cheer!
We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655.
