The joy and excitement around the holiday shopping season is a great opportunity
for perpetrators of theft crimes to try to capitalize on would-be victims.
As a result, numerous types of theft occur more frequently during this
season than at other points throughout the year. On this blog. We examine
three of these commonly-occurring theft crimes and what to do if you are
arrested and charged with them.
Shoplifting
Brick-and-mortar retail stores continue to be some of the biggest crime
victims during the holiday season. Many retailers will stock up on inventory
and fill the shelves in an effort to maximize on the frenzy of gift shoppers,
but this also frequently exposes them to the danger of potential shoplifters.
Some shops will increase the presence of employees, notably those in their
loss-prevention departments, and big retail centers like shopping malls
will also usually have police present at all times in the event someone
attempts to commit this crime.
Burglary
Remember the dim-witted burglars from
Home Alone? The crooks in this holiday classic employed a technique that is still
relatively common: scouting houses in a neighborhood to find out which
residents were gone away on vacation in order to rob the house. While
Harry and Marv used an old plumbing van to avoid suspicion, many criminals
now don’t even have to leave their home in order to pick their targets—social
media will tell them who is home and who is away on a Hawaiian vacation
for Christmas. Be careful what you post this holiday season; you may be
setting your home up as a target for criminals.
Identity Theft
While retail stores are likely to fall victim to shoplifter theft, online
shoppers are very likely to fall victim to identity theft. Skilled electronic
criminals attempt to exploit security vulnerabilities in computer systems
and implant malicious viruses and other pieces of software that can steal
personally identifiable information. If you’re planning on doing
some online shopping, be sure to scan your computer with a reliable virus
and spyware sweeper regularly, and never input your info on a computer
you suspect may be compromised.
If you are arrested and charged with this or any other form of theft crime
this holiday season, you should seek legal representation from a Walnut
Creek criminal defense attorney before facing your prosecution. Reach
out to the
Cardoza Law Offices, Inc. and trust your case to a firm with decades’ of combined legal experience
and a record of hundreds of successful cases.
For a
free consultation, call Cardoza Law Offices today at (925) 274-2900 to schedule an appointment.