If you watch the news nowadays, it seems like every other person is the victim of a crime. When going about your daily routine, how can you prevent yourself becoming the topic of the next news story?
Here are a few things to put into action as soon as possible:
To avoid being a target of crime:
- Pay attention and look around when walking
- Don’t broadcast your travel plans on social media
- Shred important documents to reduce the chance of identity theft
- Regularly check your bank account, credit report, and billing statements
- Create difficult passwords and change them often
- Password protect your mobile devices and stay off public WiFi
- Take steps to ensure your home is secure
- Walk with a confident stride and pay attention to surroundings when walking
Sometimes the simplest and most obvious precautionary measures can be overlooked.
Although the steps are simple, they are among the most helpful when it comes to avoiding being victimized by a con artist or other criminal.
The following tips should help you to avoid being an easy target of identity theft and personal crimes, so definitely keep reading! But first,let’s see what attracts criminals to their targets.
How To Protect Yourself From Violent Situations
The most important thing to remember when it comes to protecting yourself in a violent situation is to stay calm and think clearly.
You want to be able to assess the situation, and make decisions that will keep you safe.
Here are some tips on how to handle yourself if you find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation:
- Always carry an alert or protection device – Having a personal alarm product is one of the best ways to draw attention if you find yourself in danger. You can also carry some type of protection device such as pepper spray or mace.
- Remain aware of your surroundings – Be mindful of who is around you and where you are. Keep your eyes open for clues that could indicate an impending attack or conflict.
- Trust your instincts – If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Listen to the voice in your head telling you to get away from a potentially dangerous situation as quickly as possible.
- Take a deep breath – This will help you stay calm and rational, so that you can think clearly about how to proceed.
- Avoid direct confrontation – If you are not trained in physical defense, do all you can to avoid a direct confrontation with an assailant.
- Talking him/her down – In some situations, you may be able to talk down an assailant. But, please know that every situation is different and there is no guarantee that this approach will be effective.
- Walk away – If things do get physical, don’t stay put and be a victim. Remove yourself from the situation by walking or running away as quickly as possible.
- Find help – Call 911 if the situation is serious and you feel that your safety or the safety of someone else is at risk. Ask passersby for help if possible, but be aware that sometimes people can be reluctant to get involved.
- Be prepared – Having a plan ahead of time can make all the difference in an emergency. Make sure your phone is fully charged, and keep it on you with the ringer volume at maximum so you can hear if someone is trying to reach you.
What Do Criminals Look For In A Victim?
Most of us don’t realize we are giving out “signals” that can help a criminal determine whether we are a good target.
However, one famous study was done in 1981, in which videotapes of people walking along a sidewalk were shown to several inmates.
These criminals identified the people they might have tried to rob or otherwise assault if they had been on the streets.
They told researchers that victims of crime often have body language that is out of the ordinary.
The person’s posture and movements made them seem more vulnerable. Even the target’s use of exaggerated gestures drew the criminal’s attention.
It can take a seasoned criminal less than seven seconds to size you up.
Steve Kardian, a self-defense expert with 30 years experience in law enforcement as a police officer, detective, chief investigator and FBI defensive tactics instructor.
The inmates avoided people who walked with their heads up and looking around as they kept an eye out for suspicious activity around them.
Along the same lines, taking steps like removing headphones or averting eyes away from phone screens can better help you spot potential danger when you’re out.
Likewise, try to fit in. For example: don’t wear expensive jewelry or clothing if you’re heading to a dicey area of town.
Walk confidently and try to make eye contact or take a quick glance at your fellow walkers.
This reduces the risk of being caught off guard and can take away the element of surprise that criminals hope to exploit.
Make Smart Choices When Going Out Of Town
We all take weekend getaways or vacations from time to time (the current pandemic notwithstanding).
But before you go, don’t blast your travel plans all over Facebook or Twitter. Your friends might be honest, but you don’t know who else might see your posts.
Many people don’t have privacy settings enacted on their social media accounts. And even if you do, what if a friend is excited for you and comments on your post?
Now everyone who follows them also knows you’ll be gone from, say, the 12th to the 24th. This gives them lots of time to break into your empty home.
That doesn’t mean you should jet off without letting anyone know.
It’s important to text or call a trusted friend or family member to let them know where you’re going, when you’re leaving, where you’ll be staying, and when you’ll be returning.
You could even ask them to house sit or drive by your house on occasion to deter any criminal activity.
When driving – anywhere – be sure every car door on your vehicle is locked, so someone can’t yank one open to grab your purse or, worse, jump inside your car.
Also, if at all possible, be sure to fill your tank so you have enough gas to get to your destination without stopping.
If you have a mailbox that can be accessed by anyone, it’s a good idea to either have someone come by and pick your mail up every other day or have the post office hold your mail.
You can set this up by filling out a Hold Mail Request Form online. You just need to set up a free online account if you don’t have one already.
Read more about the risks of traveling on your own.
Shred Important Documents To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Crime doesn’t only encompass home break-ins and physical attackers on the street. You can also experience data theft both online and offline.
One such way you can invite this type of crime into your life is by tossing important documents and papers containing sensitive information into the trash.
Any financial documents or paperwork that have your social security number, bank account numbers, a credit card number or debit card number on them must be shredded.
Ripping the paper apart is not the same as shredding, so if you don’t own a shredder, now is a good time to invest in one.
Make sure to get a shredder with a slot to shred credit cards. That way, when your credit or debit cards expire, you can safely shred them so no one can get the info.
Check Your Bank Account, Credit Reports, And Billing Statements
You also want to keep an eye on your bank account. Maybe you don’t check every single day, but at least once a week, you should comb through your bank statements.
Do all the charges match up with purchases you made? If not, you will need to get in touch with your bank ASAP, as someone likely stole your credit or debit card.
Don’t just blindly accept the balance due on your credit card without going over the billing statements, either.
Seeing tiny charges of a dollar or two can be a warning sign that someone is trying to see if you’ll catch them before they make a bigger fraudulent charge on your card.
Likewise, credit bureaus recommend that you check your credit report annually, at the minimum, to be sure there are no errors or signs of identity theft.
TIP: you can check your credit score as often as you like without it affecting your score.
Create Difficult Online Passwords
The passwords you use for your bank account, email, and any other logins shouldn’t be easily guessed.
In fact, in this article from Mental Floss, it is recommended that passwords be long, be a nonsense phrase, should use upper and lower case letters, as well as numbers and symbols, and should not contain obvious personal info like birth dates.
Today you can find password generators all over the Internet. Some let you choose the length of the characters in your password.
You can also select whether your password has uppercase or lowercase letters as well as numbers, symbols, and characters.
Awesome – so how are you supposed to remember a password like that? Start using a password manager.
Many are free and some services also have add-on features that let you sync your password across several devices. Some will also check to be sure you aren’t using the same one for too many accounts.
Also, once you make hard-to-remember passwords, you might want to update them a few times a year so you’re ahead of the eight-ball.
Check out other ways to protect your digital footprint, as well as how to deal with a stalker online.
Password Protect Your Mobile Devices
It’s so hard to believe that the majority of us don’t take the time to put password protection on our mobile devices!
If your phone is stolen or lost and the person who picks it up can easily get into it, they’ll definitely find more than just your contact’s telephone numbers.
The majority of Americans (52%) don’t password-protect their mobile devices, according to a study by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs. Not having a password on your smartphone or tablet is akin to leaving your home with the door wide open.
Experian.com
Think about it – how often do you use a mobile device (phone, tablet, etc) to check your bank account, pay a bill, or order something online?
If you have your credit card stored on the device or have your bank info easily accessible, you could be wiped out if someone gets into it.
Therefore, to safeguard your mobile devices, set up either a 4- or 6-digit password on it.
If you aren’t a fan of having to enter a passcode every time you want to look at something on the device, then set up a fingerprint scanning unlock option.
Some phones have facial recognition that can be used to lock or unlock them, as well.
In addition to using a password to protect your phone, remember that it is also vulnerable to hacking if you access anything while on public WiFi.
Since our devices are constantly sending signals back and forth, a hacker on an open WiFi connection can easily get into your critical accounts.
Be sure to disable your smart watch and your Bluetooth device while on public connections, too.
How To Stop Burglars From Targeting Your Home
Even when you’re at home, you might still be uneasy about burglars targeting your home for robbery. There are easy things you can do to make your living area more secure.
Make your home look occupied, and make it difficult to break in.
Firestone, CO Police Department
- Lock your doors and windows. All doors and windows in your home should be locked. This includes garage doors, sliding doors / French doors to a deck or patio, and the windows upstairs in that room no one uses. A criminal will look for any vulnerability in your home to get in, and an unlocked door or window is practically an open invitation.
- Invest in a home security system. Home security systems are very beneficial and some, like SimpliSafe, are super easy to install. That’s doubly true for a single homeowner. Whether you opt for a few security cameras or a whole security rig with cameras, alerts, lights, and sensors is up to you, but having something to safeguard your property is always better than nothing.
- Leave lights on. You should leave lamps on or lights turned on in a couple of rooms in the home. This way, it doesn’t look like (a) the house is empty and (b) like you are the only one in the residence, if you are alone.
- Turn on outdoor lights or install motion sensors. There is some controversy about whether it is a good idea to leave your porch lights or deck and patio lights on. Motion sensors can solve that dilemma because they will only illuminate the area if something breaks the beam. Granted, that could be a squirrel or the neighborhood cat, but having lights come on will surely drive away a criminal who might be lurking nearby.
- Turn on music or the television. I know, we all like some quiet time once in awhile, but it can be good to make some noise, too – especially if you are alone in the home. Having the television tuned to a nature show or a device playing music shows that someone is in the home. Plus, someone outside the home won’t know if there is one person inside or several, so they’ll likely seek an easier target.
Other things that offer some protection are:
- Don’t answer the door for just anybody. When someone comes to your front door, especially if you didn’t invite them, you have the right to be a little wary. I recommend that you look through your home’s peephole or talk to doorstep callers through a closed, locked door – even if you have to shout. Ask a few questions of them, like who they are and why they’re here. If you feel uncomfortable, consider calling the nearest police station.
- Get Contents insurance. Home insurance companies sell policies cover the structure of the house, but they may not cover the home’s contents. In the case of expensive jewelry or other high dollar items in your residence, your insurance may need an additional rider to protect them.
To be sure you’ve covered everything, check over this Home Security Checklist provided by the National Crime Prevention Council:
How To Avoid Being Attacked When Walking
Women are especially vulnerable when we’re out walking. We can fall prey to anything from a purse snatching to a violent crime, like a sexual assault.
The best way for a person walking to stay safe is to:
- Keep to public places
- Avoid taking short cuts, particularly through vacant lots and wooded areas
- Walk with a group of people
- Remember that attackers watch the body language of potential victims, so stand tall, walk confidently, keep your head up and look around.
- Make eye contact with the people around you. You’re more likely to be attacked if you aren’t watching for suspicious activity because you’re occupied with your cell phone.
Did I Answer Your Questions About Ways To Protect Yourself From Being A Victim Of Crime?
By being aware of the ways that criminals can access your personal information or your home, you can take some simple steps to reduce the chances of becoming the target of crime.
If you have any tips or ideas for how to stay safe, I’d love to hear them. Please contact me and let me know.
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