Dec 16, 2021 4 min read

Most people are feeling the rush as they prepare for Christmas, which is just a little over a week away.

Unfortunately, crooks are very busy at this time of the year. Many people are getting packages delivered to their front porches. Porch Pirates sometimes drive up and down streets looking for boxes they can steal. There are several things you can do to reduce this risk.

Maybe you can position some decorations to make packages less visible from the street. Perhaps boxes can be left behind the garage or with a neighbor who may be home. Sometimes you can use a remote site to receive your gifts. There are tracking apps that help you know when something is delivered.

Many of the most in-demand gifts are difficult to find this time of year. Technology is everywhere and has become a part of everyday life. Sometimes this technology is used in questionable ways.

Many retailers are doing special online sales this year. Grinch Bots may be making it harder to find certain items. These Grinch Bots try to purchase most of the hard-to-find gifts by inundating website whenever these items go on sale to buy up the limited supply. They hope to resell these at a higher price. Currently this is not illegal, but retailers are trying to fight back so more consumers get a chance to purchase.

There are several things you can try to do to make a purchase. First, try to use your telephone instead of computer because they are often operating at a faster rate. Have your basic info ready to download. If you get a message that the item is sold out, wait five minutes and try again. Many retailers are trying to spot these bots and cancel their orders. After five minutes, there may be some available.

Of course, identity theft is a big problem this time of year. You may receive an email that there is a problem with your Amazon account or some other on-line retailer. Often these messages come from gmail accounts. Amazon or any other big online retailers will have email address with their name in them. Log directly into your account to see if there is an issue. Do not click on links in the questionable email.

Another popular scam is to tell you a purchase is being charged to your account for something you did not buy.

The scammer is trying to get you to reply so they can phish for some of your information. Delete this email. If something gets charged to your credit card, you can dispute the charge directly with the credit card company. Remember, use a credit card when buying online and not your debit card.

Although both often have similar protections, with a debit card it is your money that could be tied up until the situation is resolved. Also be wary of companies that want to be paid with gift cards that aren’t specific to their business. Legitimate business are just as happy to take your Visa credit card as a Visa gift card. The gift cards are much harder to trace and get refunds.

Make sure that you know your budget and can pay off all your Christmas purchases. Using credit and not paying the entire balance on your next statement, makes Christmas shopping much more expensive. With proper planning, Christmas can be much less stressful and way more merry.

Your Financial Future is written by certified financial planner Gary W. Boatman, MBA and CFP, who also wrote the book, “Your Financial Compass: Safe Passage Through The Turbulent Waters of Taxes, Income Planning and Market Volatility.” If there is an area that you would like to see discussed in the column, send your suggestions to gary@BoatmanWealthManagement.com.