Black Friday Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving is the unofficial start of the holiday season is the biggest day for retailers Black Friday and one of the biggest days for criminals ID: 290470
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Slide1
Criminal Opportunity: Black Friday Slide2
Black Friday
Black Friday,
the day after
Thanksgiving, is the unofficial start of the holiday season is the biggest day for retailers…Slide3
Black Friday
….and one of the biggest days for criminals!Slide4
Black Friday
The term "
Black Friday"
indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black”.Slide5
Black Friday
On
this day, most major
retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season. Slide6
Black Friday
Black Friday
2011
sales totaled $52.4 billion. The National Retail Federation reported that 138 million shoppers will headed out to the stores on Black Friday.Slide7
Black Friday
Black Friday shopping
has become, for many
a holiday tradition.Slide8
Black Friday
Unfortunately, potential
criminals do not see
Black Friday as a wayto fill their Christmas Stockings;they see an opportunity tocommit crimes.Slide9
Black Friday
The
holiday season is a
time when busy people can become stressed out, careless and vulnerable to theft and other holiday crime.Slide10
Black Friday
Black Friday Crime Challenges:
Assaults
Rage Mob Violence Crowd TramplingSlide11
Black Friday
Picket Pockets
Purse
WalletTheftPersonalFrom VehicleRobberyID Theft Slide12
Black Friday
Crime Prevention Strategies
The following crime prevention strategies will help minimize the chances of you being a “Black Friday” crime victim:Slide13
Black Friday
Always be aware of your surroundings
!
Stay alert to your surroundings at all times. Observe people and activities around you. Look confident and purposeful. Even though you are rushed and thinking about a thousand things, stay alert to your surroundings.Plan and use the safest and most direct route to your destination.Slide14
Black Friday
Shop
before dark
if possible. Coordinate shopping trips with a friend.Never park in an unlit lot or area, no matter how convenient it is.Never walk or shop listening to music with your ipod or other device,Never walk or shop while talking on your cell phoneSlide15
Black Friday
Walk near the curb and do not pass too close to shrubbery, dark doorways and other places of concealment.
Avoid shortcuts
.Choose busy, well-lighted streets and avoid isolated areas, alleys, vacant lots, abandoned buildings and construction sites.Walk facing traffic so you can see approaching cars.Slide16
Black Friday
Beware of strangers approaching you for any reason. At this time of year, con-artists may try various methods of distracting you with the intention of taking your money or belongings.Slide17
Black Friday
Carrying Your Valuables Safely
Aside from how you look and act, the way you hold your purse or wallet can also be a deciding factor
whether or not you're preyed upon. Most thieves will go for the easiest target, which means that if your purse is left unattended in a shopping cart or your wallet is sticking out of your pocket, you're more at risk.Slide18
Black Friday
Get rid of what the thieves are after, in other words, do not carry a purse. Take only what you need, for example, a credit card and a small amount of cash, and put them in a coat or jacket pocket (an inside pocket, if possible).
If you must carry a purse, use one with a shoulder strap. The best way to wear it is to wear the strap diagonally across your body. Hold your purse firmly in front of your body.Slide19
Black Friday
Put
your wallet in your front pants pocket or an inside coat pocket.
If someone bumps or jostles you or attempts to engage you in a conversation, keep in mind someone may be trying to take something from you. Don’t carry a large amount of cash on you.Slide20
Black Friday
Packages
To keep your packages
safe do not buy more than you can carry. Plan ahead by taking a friend with you or ask a store employee to help you carry your packages to the car. Never leave packages visible in your car windows. This is especially relevant for SUVs.Lock them in the trunk. Slide21
Black Friday
Have your
keys readily available in your
hand before you go to your car.When approaching your vehicle to load your purchases, keep at least one hand free to open your trunk. While loading your packages, don’t leave your handbag or purse unattended. Slide22
Black Friday
Protecting Yourself Against Fraud
Don’t
flash lots of moneyWait until asked before taking out your credit card or checkbook. An enterprising thief would love to shoulder surf to get your account information.Slide23
Black Friday
Don't sign the back of credit
cards with your name; instead shoppers should print
"Please ask for my ID" on the signature spot of cards. This requires the sales associate to compare the card against another form of identity to verify the right person is using it. Pictures are a lot harder to forge than signatures.Slide24
Black Friday
Always protect the Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your debit card. Never share it with anyone, write it down, or lend it out. Use your hand or body as a shield when entering your PIN on a keypad.
If your debit or credit card is lost or stolen, report it to your financial institution immediately. Slide25
Black Friday
If anything seems unusual about an ATM or point of sale terminal, don't use it; report the situation to police or your financial institution.
Once the season is over, make it a habit to sit down with your monthly statements or view your account information online and look for any unusual transactions. If you see anything strange, report it to your financial institution immediately. Slide26
Black Friday
Avoiding Cyber Fraud
Do
not respond to unsolicited email or click links contained within them. Avoid filling out forms contained in email messages that ask for personal information. Slide27
Black Friday
Log on directly to the official website for the business identified in the email, instead of “linking” to it from an unsolicited email
.
Contact the business that supposedly sent the email to verify that the email is genuine. Beware of requests to act quickly. Scammers often try to create a false sense of urgencySlide28
Black Friday
Diffusing Confrontations
Christmas shopping can be a stressful event, and if you factor in “Door Buster” sales and a mob mentality, aggressive confrontations can and have occurred during Black Friday promotions.Slide29
Black Friday
Effective Strategies for Defusing Aggressive
Behavior
Back OffLet the other person win….is that blouse really worth the potential ramifications?Slide30
Black Friday
Avoid Confrontation
Many times you can defuse the anger by remaining calm and reasonable yourself. Speak in a low, soft tone. Keeping things in perspective offers both of you the chance to redirect your interaction.Slide31
Black Friday
Keep Your Own Composure
While some people do not overtly display aggressive hostility, they make their anger known in other ways. An individual may use nonverbal cues such as glaring, staring or rolling the
eyes.Slide32
Black Friday
Black
Friday may be among
the most anticipated shopping events of the year for deal hunters, but it's also the most treacherous. Crowds of over- excited shoppers hungry for a door buster sales can quickly become a stampeding mass.Slide33
Black Friday
Crowd Safety Precautions
Be
aware of your surroundings. Things get weird in a mob setting. Individuals tend to act in ways they would not normally act when they are in a large (and oftentimes unruly) mob. Three years ago, a New York Walmart employee was killed by a rush of shoppers who had waited all night to get in the store,Slide34
Black Friday
Carry a cell phone. You might need to call authorities in an emergency situation. Also, you may need a phone to contact your friends and family should you get separated
.
Travel in packs. There may be safety in numbers. Your family and friends can give you a hand should you lose your footing in a mob and will offer safety against thieves.Slide35
Black Friday
If you find yourself stuck in a mob scene:
Be
preparedStay CalmStay on the sidelines If you're caught up in a riot, don't take sides. Try to look as inconspicuous as possible, and slowly and carefully move to the outside of the mob. Stay close to walls or other protective barriers if possible but try to avoid bottlenecks. These are areas where the crowd can be squashed into a tight place, such as tunnels, pillars, high fences and walls that go on for a long way.Slide36
Black Friday
Use the
social media
to alert you as to where to stay away from. Just as the rioters have started using social media and texting to alert one another where to go, you can flip this on its head and ask people to help you know where to stay away from. Messages informing you of which streets and areas are currently being targeted provide you with instantaneous warnings of where to avoid.Slide37
Black Friday
Move away from the riot
.
The more time you spend in the midst of a riot, the greater your chance of being injured or killed. That said, in most circumstances it's better to move out of a riot slowlySlide38
Black Friday
Get to a safe place, and stay put. Slide39
Black Friday
Don't
let criminals be your
scrooge this holiday season. Take a few precautions when you shop and you'll enjoy a safe and happy holiday season!Slide40
Happy Holidays
from your friends
at the American
Crime Prevention Institute! A Bill Carcara Production