News Flash

Holiday Shopping Tips

Abilene, Texas – The holiday season is upon us.  With the hustle and bustle of this time of year comes increased fraudulent activity.   This year we would like to provide some helpful tips and reminders to help you to avoid a disaster this holiday season.

Individuals

• DO NOT 
  1. Leave wallets / bill folds / purses, unattended
  2. Have credit / debit card PIN and the card in the same location
  3. Display large amounts of cash
  4. Leave identifying information in your vehicle or in plain view at your home
• DO
  1. Have all your financial institution contact information in case a card does come up missing
  2. Contact financial institution immediately if you are missing a card
  3. Lock your vehicle

Businesses – (Post for employees)

• DO NOT
  1. Allow customer to dictate your transactions
  2. Allow customer to interrupt your normal processes
  3. Leave cash drawer / till open and unattended
• DO
  1. Verify identity on credit / debit card, and check purchases with a valid identification
  2. Be aware of subjects making large gift card purchases with other gift cards
  3. Be aware of subjects attempting the quick change scam
  4. When making change verify the money each time
  5. Be very cautious of replica money (see attached)
     • Motion Picture Money 
     • Chinese money – typically has Chinese letters in red on front or back 
     • German money – typically has German writing across the top or bottom in small print
  6. Perform large money counts / drops in pairs (verification and Safety)
  7. Perform money drops often and keep a minimal amount of cash accessible