The popularity of online shopping has given rise to crimes of opportunity during the holiday season.
Online shopping is expected to top $82-Billion by the end of the holiday season. Safety expert Scott Humphrey with Travelers' Insurance says this time of year consumers who do a lot of shopping on line need to be aware of so called "porch pirates" who prey on unattended deliveries. Humphrey says if you're buying a lot of gifts on line for home delivery, be sure and use text or instant messaging notification services that delivery companies offer. He says that will allow you to be home when your package arrives. Humphrey says another option is to have packaged delivered to your place of work.
Humphrey also reminds shoppers to not leave items in plain sight in your vehicle while it is parked at the mall or shopping center. Humphrey says consumers also need to be aware of other common safety threats such as identity theft. He says because Thanksgiving this year fell late in the month, this is one of the shortest holiday shopping seasons in the past decade. He says that leads to more frantic shoppers and greater seasonal safety risks.
