Police offer up holiday shopping tips

Black Friday is tomorrow and with the holiday shopping season now upon us, Halifax Regional Police are offering up suggestions on how to keep your purchases safe from Grinches who want to steal Christmas.

They say it's a good idea to closely monitor your bank and credit card statements closely for anything unusual. If you see a discrepancy, immediately report it to uour bank or to the company that issued the credit card.

In addition, they have issued the following tips:

Online shopping

• It is best to shop from your personal device at home on a trusted network.
• Consider using different user ID and passwords for different accounts and updating your passwords frequently.
• Verify secure connections and make sure you are on a secure website. Look for the padlock icon in the address bar and check for the valid certificate by clicking on the padlock icon.
• Unlike secure order forms on a websites, email and text messages are not private. Don't send confidential personal or financial information by email or text.
• Be cautious, if an online deal looks too good to be true then it probably is.
• Watch out for email scams. Be wary of clicking on links in an email message, even if the deal seems great.
• After making purchases it can be helpful to keep the receipt, confirmation number and postal tracking numbers in a safe accessible place.
• If you are at an online store that you are unfamiliar with, read and understand the online shop's policies. It's always a good idea to check a site's reviews before making a purchase.

In-store shopping