While online shopping has gained popularity over the years, many Christmas shoppers still enjoy the hustle and bustle of navigating through stores and visiting local shops and boutiques. 

Whether shopping in person or online, Sheriff David Groves wants to provide some important reminders on how to protect against theft and scams.

"Thieves will take advantage of online gift shopping and could follow delivery services as they drop off packages along their routes.  Rather than having a package shipped to your home where it could be left unattended, consider having it shipped to your workplace or somewhere a responsible person can accept it for you," advised Sheriff Groves.

In addition to making sure your packages are secure, it's important to take steps to reduce the risk of scams and in-person thefts, as well.  The Sheriff's Office recommends:

• Don't carry or flash large amounts of cash while checking out in stores
• Don't leave valuables in your vehicle.  When shopping, secure packages in the trunk
• Make sure your vehicles and homes are locked
• Report suspicious activity in your neighborhood
• Monitor credit card accounts.  Report any unauthorized purchases, regardless of how small the dollar amount.
• Don't hesitate to ask a store employee to walk you to your vehicle

 "Finally, regardless of the time of year, it's important to never give out personal bank account information, social security numbers, confirm addresses or give any other personal information to someone calling you, even if they claim to be with your bank, a government agency or a business you are familiar with.  If you have concerns about your information being breached, you should hang up and call the official number for the institution, not the one provided by whoever called you," concluded Sheriff Groves.