Protect against holiday thieves

Cars can be the target of holiday theft.

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Story Published: Nov 27, 2008 at 11:42 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 27, 2008 at 11:42 PM PDT

By Hayley Guenthner

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LEWISTON - It's the eve of the biggest shopping day of the year. But stores aren't the only ones after your cash.

The stores may be empty now, but Friday's a different story. Come morning, shoppers will be racing to the doors to snag the best Black Friday deals, but Lewiston Community Programs Officer Monte Renzelman said it's also a prime time for thieves.

"It's a very lucrative time for criminals, so we need to do what we can to prevent that," said Renzelman. "To do that, the number one thing is to lock your car. There are still people here in Lewiston that think we're in this small little town and that they don't have to lock things up."

Renzelman said it's up to us to take away that opportunity for trouble. He recommends locking up all big buys in the trunk of your car and making several trips home to drop them off. He adds that the key to a safe shopping trip is in the bag.

"Purses or large items like that, try to minimize the size as much as you can," said Renzelman. "If you're carrying around a big purse, it gets kind of cumbersome. Especially, don't leave it in the cart."

Renzelman said vehicles and stores aren't the only places criminals prey. Your computer is also a prime place for theft this holiday season.

"You have to have a secure browser you need to make sure their computer is talking to your computer only, and not getting bounced around the internet before it gets to their computer," said Renzelman.

Renzelman said most programs have some indicator that they are secure, so if the one your browsing doesn't, click away. He said there are several good ones out there, like Microsoft Explorer.

"They have what looks like a master lock in the bottom corner and if that's in what looks to be the locked position, that means you're on a secure browser," said Renzelman.

It's also important to never carry large amounts of cash, to park in a safe and well lit space, and to hit the stores with a buddy.

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