Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell has offered tips to protect residents from scams and theft during the holidays.
Lt. Wesley Welborn of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division offers these tips to help residents avoid those who look to steal their items:
- Those expecting a package and receiving a related email should look for details such as the order number, purchase date, and payment method.
- Do not click links in emails purporting to be from the retailer. Instead, use a browser or app to navigate directly to the retailer’s official website and look up the order.
- Stop and look for red flags. Those can include an email containing prices in a currency not typical of the buyer or an email sent outside business hours.
- Look for spelling and grammatical mistakes in the address, subject line, or body text. Just do not click on any links contained.
The Better Business Bureau offers these tips to prevent package thieves from affecting their holiday plans:
- Check with neighbors. Sometimes, a package may not be stolen but may have been left at the wrong address. Many delivery companies take pictures of the package where it was left, so make sure it is at a familiar location.
- When possible, do not leave delivered packages unattended for long periods. Attempt to schedule delivery when someone will be there to accept or retrieve it, but if not ask a neighbor to collect it so it will be waiting securely.
- Ship to store when using a retailer with a physical location nearby.
- Use a visible security camera, doorbell camera, or camera system and install a sign stating the home or business is under surveillance.
- Require a signature for expensive items but check the retailer’s policy to ensure the driver will not return items to sender if a recipient is not available after a couple of tries.
“Christmas is a time to count blessings and spend time with family and friends. Take steps to keep it free from opportunists who would play Grinch and steal,” Habersham County Sheriffs officials said.
