This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
It seems that during the holiday season more and more thieves are out and about. A couple of days ago I heard on the news that armed men robbed a lady who was who unloading packages in her own driveway. The cops were not sure if the thieves followed the shopper from the mall or they were just cruising around looking for an opportunity to target unsuspecting victims.
I know it’s the time to celebrate and be joyful but don’t ignore safety during this holiday season:
- Always lock all your packages in the trunk. Thieves walk around parking lots looking for cars with packages that are left on the seats in plain view.
- Be aware of your surroundings and don’t be walking around texting or with a cell phone stuck to your ear.
- Don’t announce to social media such as Facebook or Twitter that you are planning big purchases, going out shopping or leaving for the holidays. You never know if you are being targeted.
- When you park your car anywhere look around to see who is hanging around the area
- Pay attention to the ATM machine that you are using. There have been several cases of ATMs being altered to capture passwords and account numbers. In all the cases, the ATM machine is described as slightly off or different from others. Cover your hands with your other hand as you type in your password.
- When arriving home, shut your garage door quickly before unloading any packages. You are still vulnerable in your driveway, as you start to let your guard down.
- Tear up all boxes especially big ticket items such as TVs and computers. Don’t just leave these boxes in the curb during trash pickup; this is advertising to thieves that you just unpacked some fresh loot.
Some people may say this is paranoia but I say it’s not being paranoid you if you really are being targeted. Part of having a preparedness mindset is not just stockpiling supplies, it includes paying attention to safety and security any way you can.
© Apartment Prepper 2015
I shop early in the day, early in the week year around, habit now for years, to avoid crowds and save time. I never used an ATM, I just get cash at the bank or cash back at grocery stores. Dressing down especially for women while shopping helps too, no jewelry that looks real, etc. Keeping garage closed is good idea as robberies increase. Best to stay out of crowds in general since yesterday’s shootings, Jihad is everywhere and will get worse as traitor gov. keeps letting Muslims in and keeps borders open.
Hi Laura M, Those are all great habits to have. With the added worries of terrorist threats, it is best to be vigilant at all times. Thanks for the comment.
When I am at the store, I have my wallet in a zippered pack, deep in the bottom, with another “wallet”, and several other items (sweat shirts, extra sweaters, etc) on top so that the first thing that shows is a useless wallet.
Vote OUT liberal democrats and vote for the conservative unless you want 7 more years of what we have seen in this country..Thats the best thing you can do.