Holiday shopping safety tips for women covering parking lots, shoulder surfers, phishing scams, stolen cards, packages and situational awareness.

NOV 08, 2018 | UPDATED SEP 24, 2026

defense-divas-holiday-shopping-safety-tips

Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

Holiday shopping creates the perfect mix of crowded stores, packed parking lots, distractions and expensive purchases. That can make shoppers easier targets for theft, scams and opportunistic crime.


Protecting yourself starts with staying alert, limiting what you carry and paying attention during the moments when you are most distracted, especially at checkout counters, ATMs and in parking lots.


These holiday shopping safety tips can help you protect your money, your purchases and yourself while you shop.

“If your credit card is stolen, you won’t have to lock down all of your accounts.”

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🎄Designate One Credit Card for Holiday Shopping

Use one credit card for your holiday purchases rather than switching among several credit cards, debit cards and bank accounts. It can make your spending easier to monitor and limit the number of financial accounts exposed during a busy shopping season.

  • Credit cards have additional layers of fraud protection insurance that you don’t get with other forms of payment. Under federal law, your liability for unauthorized use of a credit card is generally limited to no more than $50, and many card issuers provide additional zero-liability protections. Debit-card protections work differently and can depend heavily on how quickly you report the loss or unauthorized transaction.

  • You will only have to alert one credit card company if your information is stolen, but also be able to monitor account activity with one login during the busy holiday season.

  • You should login and review your account periodically through the holiday season to scan for any fraudulent charges and notify the bank.

  • If your credit card is stolen, you won’t have to lock down all of your accounts. This can be extremely inconvenient when you need to get the rest of your Christmas shopping finished.

  • Keeping all of your holiday expenses on one credit card is an excellent way to stay on budget because all of your holiday expenses are on one statement.

    Whichever card you choose, turn on transaction alerts through your bank or credit-card app if available. Review activity regularly to avoid identity theft rather than waiting for the monthly statement. A small fraudulent charge can be easier to overlook during a season when you are making purchases more frequently than usual.
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🎄Only Bring What You Need on Shopping Runs

There is rarely a reason to carry every credit card, debit card, membership card and important document you own when heading to the mall.

Carry the payment method you plan to use, your identification and anything else you genuinely need. Leave unnecessary cards and documents secured at home.

The FTC specifically recommends carrying only the cards you expect to use and keeping PIN information separate from your cards.

This approach limits the amount of damage a thief can cause if your purse or wallet is stolen. It also gives you fewer accounts to freeze, replace or monitor afterward.

Before leaving home, make sure you know how to contact your card issuer quickly. Most financial institutions allow you to temporarily lock a card through their mobile app if it goes missing.
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🎄See and Be Seen When Holiday Shopping

Winter brings shorter daylight hours, so many holiday shopping trips happen after dark. Whenever possible, park in well-lit areas near active entrances and pedestrian traffic.


Before walking away from your vehicle, note where you parked so you are not wandering through the lot while staring at your phone later. Parking lot safety is critical this time of year. Thieves can hide behind cars, light posts and garbage cans much easier in the dark and they certainly don’t want their face to be easily identifiable by witnesses to the crime.


When returning to your vehicle:

• Have your keys ready before you reach the car.

• Look around nearby vehicles before approaching.

• If someone is lingering near your vehicle, keep moving toward a populated area or return to the store.


Once inside, lock the doors before organizing receipts, packages or your purse. If something feels wrong, ask store security for an escort.

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🎄Beware of Shoulder Surfers

Shoulder surfing refers to someone observing information you are entering, displaying or handling in public. It does not require sophisticated technology.


A person standing behind you may be able to see a PIN, password, payment card or information displayed on your phone. Someone appearing to scroll through a phone could also potentially photograph information that is visible.


Shield the keypad when entering a PIN at an ATM or payment terminal. Law-enforcement agencies specifically recommend covering the keypad to prevent someone nearby from observing your PIN.


There is also no reason to unnecessarily expose your entire card number while waiting at checkout. Keep cards put away until you are ready to use them, and return them to a secure location immediately after the transaction.


The same awareness applies to your phone. Avoid opening banking apps, password managers or other sensitive accounts where strangers can easily see your screen.

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🎄Beware of Online Click Bait

Holiday phishing attempts have become considerably more convincing. A fraudulent email or text may imitate a retailer, delivery company, financial institution or online marketplace and claim there is a problem requiring immediate action.

Messages may announce a failed delivery, unusual account activity, an incredible sale, an expiring coupon or a payment problem.

Don’t assume that a message is legitimate because it contains professional graphics, correct spelling or a familiar logo. The FBI has warned that criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence and other tools to create highly convincing phishing messages and fake websites.

Instead of clicking a link inside an unexpected email or text, open the retailer's official app or type the company's website address directly into your browser. Check orders and delivery information there.

Be especially suspicious when a seller insists on payment by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or prepaid gift card. The FBI continues to warn consumers about fraudulent sellers requesting gift-card payments and recommends credit cards for online purchases because of their dispute protections.

Phishing email fraud has become so sophisticated that it can be difficult to tell the difference between an email from a reputable company that you trust and one that looks EXACTLY like them but wants to capture your name, address and credit card number to steal your identity.

As a general rule, review the actual address that the email came from and the website address that the link in their email forwards to. If these are not the authentic company’s credentials, do not go any further and report this information to the true and real company.

“Watch out for windshield bait and the criminal who put it there when getting in your car.”

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🎄Don’t Overload Yourself

Carrying more packages than you can comfortably manage reduces your mobility and divides your attention.

You should be able to walk normally, access your keys and phone, look around you and react quickly if something happens. If your arms are buried under packages, all of those things become more difficult.

Avoid hanging multiple shopping bags from your wrists or forearms. Carry what you can control without compromising your balance or your ability to move.

If you need to return purchases to your vehicle, place them out of sight. Police departments commonly recommend locking packages in the trunk rather than leaving them visible through vehicle windows.

Whenever possible, put items in the trunk before driving to another location rather than opening the trunk, placing expensive purchases inside and then immediately walking back into the same shopping center. You never know who may be watching activity in a busy parking lot.
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🎄Don’t Have Tunnel Vision

Crowded stores create a tremendous amount of visual and mental noise. You may be checking a shopping list, answering texts, comparing prices or trying to remember where you parked.
That is exactly when situational awareness matters.

Keep your head up while walking between stores and through parking areas. Avoid staring continuously at your phone. Notice who is around you and whether anyone appears to be following your movements.

Pay particular attention as you approach your vehicle. Look around the surrounding cars before you unlock yours. If someone is lingering near your vehicle or something feels unusual, continue walking toward a populated area rather than automatically approaching the car.

If necessary, return to the store and request assistance from security.

Situational awareness does not mean assuming everyone around you is dangerous. It means paying enough attention to recognize behavior that deserves a second look.

    It’s easy to get in “the zone” when you are holiday shopping. It can be crowded, hectic and crazy. You just want to get in and get out with the things you came for as quickly (and painlessly) as possible. But look up! Look around!
    beware-of-windshield-bait-holiday-shopping-safety

    🎄Beware of Windshield Bait

    “Windshield bait” is a distraction tactic every shopper should know how to handle. Cash, flyers, notes or other objects may be placed beneath a windshield wiper where you are likely to notice them only after reaching or entering your vehicle.


    The purpose of this type of bait is to get you to stop what you are doing, redirect your attention and potentially step back out of your vehicle. Those few distracted moments can create an opportunity for someone nearby to approach, grab a purse or packages, steal belongings from the vehicle or attempt to take the vehicle itself. A distraction can be especially effective when your engine is running, the door is open or your keys are still in your hand.

    Whether an object was deliberately placed there to distract you or is completely harmless, do not let curiosity pull your attention away from your surroundings. Parking lots are transitional areas where your attention is already divided between your purchases, keys, phone, vehicle and the people around you.

    If you are already inside your vehicle when you notice something on the windshield, lock your doors and assess your surroundings before getting back out. If anything feels suspicious, drive to a safer, populated location before removing it. The object can wait. Your first priority is maintaining awareness and control of the situation.

    🎄Take the next step.

    Holiday shopping should be fun, but busy stores, crowded parking lots and packed schedules can make it easy to operate on autopilot. Make a habit of slowing down for a few seconds when entering or leaving a store, approaching your vehicle or responding to an unexpected distraction.


    You never need proof that something is wrong before creating distance or changing your plans. If a situation makes you uncomfortable, act on it. A few extra seconds of awareness can keep holiday distractions from becoming opportunities for someone else.


    Following these simple precautionary holiday shopping safety tips can significantly reduce your chances of being the victim of holiday shopping crime. To learn more about this topic, please visit our YouTube Channel Holiday Season Shopping Safety Playlist. We found these videos to be full of beneficial information in research for this article.

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