As holidays approach, law enforcement officers share safe shopping tips

With the busiest shopping season of the year just around the corner, Middle Georgia law enforcement officers are offering some safe shopping tips.

"My No. 1 tip would be to just be aware of your surroundings at all times," said Macon-Bibb County sheriff's Lt. Randy Gonzalez. "Just be alert."

Shoppers should park in well-lighted areas at night, always lock their vehicles and remember to keep packages and other valuables in the trunk, Gonzalez said. Thieves stalking parking lots are looking for items that are visible in vehicles such as purses, laptops and cellphones.

He suggested always having keys in hand when walking to your car after shopping.

"As you're walking to your car, watch for other people that might be around close by -- anything that may look suspicious," Gonzalez said.

When in crowded places or walking to your vehicle, don't overload yourself with packages, Gonzalez recommended.

"If you can, don't go alone," he said. "Take somebody shopping with you. It's always safer in numbers."

If you do venture out alone, let a friend or close relative know where you'll be and what you'll be doing, he said.

When inside stores, be mindful of purses or wallets.

"If you're looking at something on a shelf, sometimes people tend to set their valuables down -- a purse, pocketbook or billfold or whatever. ... It doesn't take but just a few seconds for somebody to walk by ... and pick it up, snatch it and be gone with it before you turn around," Gonzalez said.

Byron police Lt. Bryan Hunter urges shoppers not to hesitate to call authorities if something strikes them as suspicious.

"Keep an eye out for anything that doesn't look right, or people that don't look right," Hunter said, "and don't be scared to call the local law enforcement agency."

Fort Valley Public Safety Director Lawrence Spurgeon said people also should be safe when shopping online.

"We're seeing a lot of online holiday shopping now of days, and we're getting a lot of fraud reports," Spurgeon said.

He advised using only reputable websites and frequently checking bank and credit card statements.

"Some websites are a little shady, and if something looks too good to be true, 99 percent of the time, it's too good to be true," Spurgeon said.

"Make sure you're checking your bank statements frequently if you know you're putting your information out there on the web," Spurgeon said. "A lot of times, these people will get your information and be doing fraudulent stuff for months before people realize what's going on, because they don't do their due diligence as far as their accounts."

Spurgeon also suggested using a reputable third-party online payment system to make purchases.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season and is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Cyber Monday, a marketing term used for the best online holiday deals and sales, is the first Monday after Thanksgiving.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter @becpurser.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 10:09 PM with the headline "As holidays approach, law enforcement officers share safe shopping tips ."