Mrs. Eniola Adeshina and her 17years old daughter Bisola went to Balogun market Lagos last week, after withdrawing N200,000 from the bank, Mrs. Adeshina split the money into two giving the daughter one part to keep in her sling cloth bag while she safely tucked away the rest in her bag.
We all know how busy the markets and everywhere has become. Due to the prevalence of buying and selling as well as travelling during the yuletide, there are usually massive crowds at the markets and motor parks, where pickpockets use the opportunity to steal phones, cash and other items.
Anyway, from the Balogun area, they went to Nnamdi Azike road, down to Tom Jones road shopping all the way. From time to time Adesina will look over her shoulder at the daughter who was following her closely at the back and remind her to pull her sling bag to her chest, to avoid pickpockets accessing her bag but her daughter will always insist she was mindful of her bag.
By the time Mrs. Adeshina had exhausted the N100,000 in her bag, she reached to retrieve the N100,000 she had kept in her daughter’s bag, it was then that they saw a long cut running by the side of the daughter’s bag. Without her knowing as the crowd pressed, a thief who saw her loosely had her bag, used the opportunity to discreetly make a cut on the bag and was fortunate to forage and got the money. At what point did it happen they could not tell.
In the same market, during this same period of massive crowds and shopping, Mrs. Ijeoma Chibuike was in a big lace shop in balogun. Different shoppers, especially ladies of all ages were mingling around, admiring and selecting materials they wanted to buy.
Ijeoma had come to buy different lace materials as she had a series of functions she wanted to attend in the village during Christmas.
She was engrossed in admiring the lace materials and deciding on which ones to buy. Meanwhile she had her hand bag which she had zipped on her shoulder, Call it providence or the act of God, but all of a sudden she turned and beheld a woman’s hand was right inside her bag rummaging through her bag. Courageously she held onto the woman’s hand, not allowing her to pull her hand and people were querying the woman “what is your hand doing in another person’s bag”?. Mind you this woman is not less than 70 years old, the people you will never suspect.
This is the time. You must be extra vigilant as you shop.
With the countdown to Christmas well and truly on, check out these handy crime prevention and safety tips.
Protect your parcels
As we head into the busiest time of year for postal deliveries, it’s important to do all you can to avoid becoming a victim of parcel theft by taking a few simple steps:
●Get packages delivered to a place where someone can physically receive them.
●Make sure to sign for deliveries or indicate a secure location where they can be left.
●Provide clear delivery instructions and ask for packages not to be placed at your front door.
●If you’re not going to be home, arrange to collect the parcel from a depot or have it redirected to an address of someone you trust.
●Report any suspicious behaviour – such as a car following a courier van or an unexpected visitor who knocks on your door asking for someone you don’t know.
Watch out for fraudsters
Online shopping is convenient for Christmas shopping but be careful transacting online to avoid identity theft. Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge, to obtain credit or purchase goods or services – and technology advances mean that criminals have a variety of methods at their disposal.
Here’s some ways to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft:
●Shred documentation that has personal information, especially bank and credit card statements and old bills.
●Don’t leave personal documentation in your car.
●Use strong passwords that are hard to guess.
●Never give out personal information over the phone, internet or even face-to-face unless you have initiated the contact and can verify that the person or organisation is legitimate.
●Secure your letterbox so only you can access your mail.
●Monitor your transactions and check bank statements or your bank account regularly to make sure there are no unauthorised transactions and contact your financial institution immediately if something is not right.
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Credit cards
●Immediately advise your bank if your card is lost or stolen, especially because ‘contactless’ technology allows transactions without a PIN or a signature up to a limit.
●Have different PINs for each card and choose them carefully. Don’t write your PIN down or keep it in the same place as your cards.
●Never share your PIN with anyone and be alert when entering it at an ATM or during a shop transaction.
●Destroy old cards and sign new ones as soon as you receive them.
●When you move to a new house, make sure to update your address with your financial institution.
Make sure to shop safely
Shopping can be stressful, but social distancing and uncertainty over changing restrictions adds a new layer of complexity when battling the Christmas crowds. Seasonal shopping can also make you a potential target for thieves, so consider a few simple precautions:
In the shops
●Don’t leave shopping to the last-minute rush.
●Only carry essential identification or valuables and make sure they’re secure.
●Make sure your bag is closed, held in front of you where possible and never left unattended.
●Pay attention to your surroundings and if someone bumps into you, immediately check your valuables.
●When making a transaction using your card, never let it out of your sight and be wary about who is nearby when entering your PIN.
●Pay attention to who is around you and report any suspicious activity.
Pickpocket
Pickpocketing is a form of crime that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from a victim’s pocket without them noticing the theft at the time.
Pickpockets and other thieves, especially those working in groups, sometimes apply distraction, such as asking a question or bumping into the victims. These distractions sometimes require sleight of hand, speed, misdirection and other types of skills
Pickpockets are usually found in crowded places, such as high traffic areas, mass transit stations, places of worship, open markets and public transits.
Due to the prevalence of buying and selling as well as travelling during the yuletide, there are usually massive crowds at the markets and motor parks, where pickpockets use the opportunity to steal phones, cash and other items.