SecurAmerica has added a special cyber security supplement which offers some great tips on avoiding getting scammed over the internet as cyber shopping continues to grow. Online shopping will account for nearly 13.5 percent of the total retail shopping sales this holiday season, up from 12.3 percent last year. Please feel free to send this to your colleagues, friends and elves to help keep them safe during this special holiday season. Regards, Chris Carney ccarney@securamericallc.com

1. This month’s SecurAlert provides a wide range of safety and security tips aimed at making this
special holiday season for our SecurAlert readers even more special. Please feel free to send this to
your relatives, neighbors and friends to help keep them safe during this special holiday season.
According to the US
Fire Administration, the
holidays have more than
double the number of
home cooking fires that
occur in an average day.
Fire Safety
Most of holiday fires are related to
fireplaces, space heaters, holiday
decorations, candles and cooking.
To help prevent home fires this
holiday season, here are some tips
that you can consider:
n Install a smoke detector in your
kitchen (and for that matter every
level of your home) that senses
both the visible (photoelectric)
AND invisible (ionization) signs
of combustion. This will
ensure a smoky fire and one that
has primarily flame or is just
beginning is detected and an alarm
sounded!
n NEVER leave the kitchen
while omething is boiling,
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frying or grilling.
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Use a timer and conduct kitchen
checks when simmering, baking,
broiling and roasting.
Keep potholders and food
wrappers at least three feet away
from heat sources while cooking.
Wear tighter fitting clothing with
shorter sleeves when cooking.

2. Candle Safety
n Make sure they are placed in
sturdy holders.
Make sure they don’t drip
hot wax or are near trees or
any combustible item.
Never place candles on a
Christmas tree.
Keep small children away
from them and matches and
lighters.
Never leave candles burning
at night or when you leave
your home.
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Make sure all stoves, ovens, and ranges have been turned off when
you leave the kitchen.
Turn handles of pots and pans on the stove inward to avoid accidents.
Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three-feet around the stove and
areas where hot foods or drinks are prepared or carried.
Keep a lid nearby to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by
sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan
covered until it is completely cool.
Follow all manufacturer guidelines regarding the appropriate use
of appliances.
After guests leave, designate a responsible adult to walk around
the home making sure that all candles and smoking materials
are extinguished.
Buy only “UL-APPROVED” lighting; use outdoor lighting and
decorations that are specifically manufactured for outdoor use.
NEVER use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can be
charged with electricity from faulty lights that can electrocute
persons and pets!
Never overload electrical outlets.
Never burn holiday wrappings in your fireplace.
If you purchase an artificial tree, make sure it is “Fire Resistant”.
Shut off lights on a fresh tree if you are away from your house; these
can grow hot and cause a tree branch to ignite, particularly if it is dry.

3. Space Heaters
The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 25,000 residential
fires every year are associated with the use of space heaters, causing more than 300 deaths.
An estimated 6,000 persons each year receive hospital emergency room care for burn injuries
caused by space heaters. Many victims are elderly and live alone so make sure you share this
important information with your senior citizen friends and family.
Room gas heaters, portable kerosene heaters (illegal in many states) and portable electric heaters have
the highest risk of death and injuries so try to avoid these if at all possible. But, if you decide to use
one or you have a loved one who will not give up “their” space heater, follow these tips throughout the
winter season:
Make sure the space heater selected has been tested by an independent testing laboratory such as
Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL).
The preferred style of space heaters should be a fully enclosed by design and have no external
surfaces that reach temperatures capable of igniting, such as an oil filled radiant heater.
Do not storage anything within three feet of the unit. The leading cause of space heater fires is
combustibles too close to the heater. Keep kids and pets away form them!
Heaters should be placed on a flat, level surface. Do not place heaters on furniture since they may
fall and become damaged or break parts in the heater.
Unless the heater is designed for use outdoors or in bathrooms, do not use in damp, wet areas.
Make sure the heater has thermostatic controls and automatic shutoff features.
The space heater must be plugged directly into an outlet. Do not use a light-duty extension cord
or a multi outlet strip/surge protector; it can start a fire with a high-wattage appliance. The unit must
be grounded with a three-pronged plug. Many office workers use space heaters and plug these into
cubicle outlets – this is a serious fire hazard and one of the leading causes of office fires during the
winter months.
Run the power cord so that no one steps on or trips over it.
Never leave a space heater running when the room it is heating is unattended; turn it off when you
leave and NEVER leave it running at night.

4. Shopping Safety
There is no total way of preventing crime, but here are some
proven tips that we have shared with our readers over the years:
n Minimize after-dark shopping.
n Wait for a close space.
n Shop with friends.
n Carry a minimal wallet (license, one credit card, cash –
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Criminal activity peaks around
the holiday season.
Criminals, both professional and
amateur, use this time to pray on
unsuspecting and distracted shoppers,
travelers and home owners. Typical
crimes around the holidays include
shoplifting, pick-pocketing, identity
theft (primarily on-line credit card
fraud), vehicle break-in/thefts, purse
snatching and home burglary.
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never place your Social Security card in your wallet).
Put valuable items, including portable navigation systems
and other electronics in your trunk BEFORE you park your
car; never leave anything inside the interior portion of your
vehicle including gym bags, backpacks, etc.
Secure your vehicle once you park it; many vehicles are
actually unlocked during the holidays, which creates a huge
opportunity for a criminal to strike.
Avoid large amounts of cash.
Grip bags close to your body.
Keep credit cards and cash in your front pocket.
Wear comfortable, non-designer clothing and keep the jew-
elry at home – criminals target shoppers who look like they
have money or are wearing jewelry that can easily be taken.
Never leave your shopping bags unattended.
Ask for an escort if your vehicle is parked in a dark or
remote area.
Before you enter your vehicle look in the inside to make
sure no one is in it; once inside IMMEDIATELY lock the
doors.
Know the location of mall security and report any person or
activity that is suspicious.
Be aware of your surroundings; don’t be distracted with
shopping bags and other items.
Don’t give money to pan handlers; this can be a ruse to get
you distracted and open your wallet or purse for another
criminal to grab it.
Teach your kids to stay with you; never allow them to wander.

5. Home Party Safety
No one really thinks that home parties could be an opportunity
for a dishonest partier to strike but every year, the unthinkable
happens…so help minimize the chance of a theft or other event
at your home by considering the following:
Know your invitees; don’t
assume you or someone else
knows a stranger.
Keep your wallet or purse secured and out of site.
Secure very expensive jewelry or keep it out of site.
Periodically check upstairs and all rooms.
Designate a first floor coat room to avoid guests walking
through your home.
Assign an end time.
Consider beer and wine only; have plenty of food and non-
alcoholic beverages.
Mop up spills quickly to avoid a fall hazard.
When the party is over, check all rooms in your house to
make sure everyone has left and secure all doors while you
are cleaning up.
Home Security
Homes are also vulnerable around the holidays as criminals prey on homes that are unoccupied due to
holiday travel or serve as attractive targets due to the amount of gifts that many homes have stored in
them. So, here are some very basic steps you can take to help you avoid becoming a victim:
n Put inside lights on timers; have these on different times so the same ones turn on and off at the
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same time – this is a tell tale sign that no one is home.
Cancel mail and newspaper deliveries if travelling or have a neighbor pick these up for you.
Keep gifts out of site.
Cover empty trash boxes that advertise expensive gifts and electronics – thieves will know what’s in
your house.
Buy only fresh trees; keep them watered; place them in sturdy stands.
Never place a tree in the way of your path to exit your home.
Confine charitable giving to reputable, established organizations – holidays bring scam artists.

6. ,
For our 2013 Holiday Edition of
SecurAlert, we thought we would
end on providing some great tips
from the US government that can
help you protect yourself and your
finances as you hunt for that
perfect gift:
Internet Shopping
The internet makes holiday shopping so easy—no fighting for parking spaces at jam-packed malls, no
waiting in endless lines to get to the register. But even if you consider yourself a pro, shopping online
isn’t without risks, use these tips to protect yourself:
n Use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit card payments can be withheld if there’s a dispute
with a store, and if the card is stolen, you won’t have to pay more than $50 of fraudulent charges. But
with a debit card, you can’t withhold payments—the store is paid directly from your bank account.
And if your card is stolen, you could be liable for up to $500, depending on when you report it.
n Make sure the sites on which you shop and provide credit card information are safe. If you are enter-
your financial information on a webpage, make sure the URL begins with “https” as opposed to
ing
“http” or has a lock in your browser’s search bar.
n Find out if the public WiFi hotspot you’re using at a coffee shop or bookstore is secure. If it’s not,
your payment information could be compromised over the network.
n Enable “Timeouts” on your mobile device. Why? More and more consumers are doing the bulk of
their holiday shopping on mobile phones. If you’re one of those consumers, make sure to enable a
lock screen password, in case your device is lost or stolen. If your phone isn’t timed out, you’re
leaving the keys to your kingdom to whoever picks it up.
n Don’t’ click on “Pop-up Ads.” Though it may seem obvious, malicious pop-up ads still pose one of
largest threats to web shoppers. Studies have shown that a large amount of consumers will click
the
the account regardless of its message. Be mindful of what pop-ups say, it could be evidence of a
on
security threat.

7. n It’s risky not to read the terms of service agreement before you buy online. You could inadvertently
sign up for subscriptions or get hit with additional fees or restrictions. Terms of service are often in
small print or presented right when you are anxious to purchase.
n Be careful if you’re buying event tickets online as gifts. Some venues may practice restricted
ticketing, requiring the same credit card used in the online purchase to be shown to get into the event.
n Use caution buying digital assets like books and music—they can’t be given away as gifts if they’ve
been downloaded to your account. You should either purchase a gift card for the book or music site,
check with the company. Some services have ways to “gift an item” but it varies depending on the
or
provider.
For more information visit the
following websites:
www.be.safe.org
www.safetyathome.com
www.cdc.gov/family/holiday
www.nfpa.com
www.aspca.org