How to Safeguard Your Holiday Spending From Christmas Thieves

The holiday present rush is well under way. Postal carriers have been swamped with parcels in the run up to Christmas and most will be experiencing their busiest shipping weekend of the year. Unfortunately not everyone is getting into the season of giving. Higher parcel traffic also means more incidents of theft. So how can you avoid having your long awaited packages swiped straight off your front doorstep? Make sure you take some holiday shopping precautions. Cargo theft increases about 61% per day around the holidays. The cost to shippers and trucking companies can be up to an estimated $30 billion per year. Request a signature for any items you buy online. Paying that bit extra can mean the difference between receiving your parcel or not and will help you get a refund if your package doesn't show up. Shipping packages to work is also a safer option. Stopping holiday crooks can be a challenge. A safe solution is to get a tracking number from a shipping company or pick up your delivery from a local shipping center. If UPS is delivering, use its My Choice program which notifies customers as their parcel is arriving and offers a reroute option. Even though you want to retain the element of surprise, it's a good idea to let your parcel recipient know you sent them a gift. Take advantage of retail store offers to buy now and pick up later or request the parcel is left in view of a security camera. Delivery to higher floors are also less likely to get stolen according to the statistics. So be sure to safeguard your festive generosity with some forward planning.