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12 Tips of Christmas 2020

Day 1 - Every Contact Counts. If you must meet up this Christmas keep your contacts to a minimum. Wear a mask if you can’t stay 2 metres apart. Follow HSE Covid-19 guidelines for your safety and others.

Day 2 - If you are out this Christmas, take care when carrying your handbag, wallet or smart phone. Keep them in a safe location.

Day 3 - If you are out this Christmas, take care about where you store coats and handbags.

Day 4 - At ATM’s, only take out as much money as you need. Cover your pin number and call the Gardaí if you believe the machine has been compromised.

Day 5 - Park in well lit & secure areas. Take care of your Christmas shopping and never leave it unattended, especially in your car.

Day 6 - Secure all car doors and windows. Set the car alarm. Report all thefts, or suspicious activity to Gardaí & Security staff

Day 7 - Avoid burglaries at Christmas – Secure all doors and windows and use your alarm.

Day 8 - Don’t leave Christmas presents in view from the outside of your home.

Day 9 - If you’re expecting deliveries, always make sure someone is there to collect it or arrange for a trusted neighbour to take it in.

Day 10 - Avoid alerting criminals to valuable goods inside your home. Recycle packaging carefully so they cannot see what has been delivered.

Day 11 - If you are visiting family or friends this Christmas, make your own home look occupied; leave some lights on.

Day 12 - Drink alcohol responsibly. Never, ever drink and drive.

In the period from 1 January 2020 until 31 October 2020, 489 Online Shopping Frauds have been reported to An Garda Síochána. The average loss was €2,306 per incident representing an overall loss to Irish citizens of €1,127,972.

The business community are frequently targeted by fraudsters using stolen or compromised credit cards, bank accounts or payments, in what is called Card Not Present Fraud. Businesses who are victims of this fraud will suffer losses under the ‘charge back’ process.