TULSA, Okla. — While back-to-school shopping, you might be tempted to leave your purchases in your car, but that might mean temptation for thieves.
We spoke to a burglary detective and got some tips on how to keep your valuables safe inside your car.
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“We see sometimes during Christmas time and other events that happen where there’s a lot of shopping, and people tend to leave stuff in their cars, cause they go from business to business so it's one of those things it’s a target-rich environment for these suspects to go and find stuff to steal," Tulsa Police Lt. Tim Means said.
Means, a burglary detective, says piled-up shopping bags in the back of your vehicle could make you a perfect target for thieves. So, are there ways to safely leave shopping bags in your car?
“The best thing I can tell you is take your stuff with you while shopping, complete your shopping and if you’re going somewhere else, you may want to put your stuff in the trunk before you go to the next location,” Means said.
Means says burglars often check for unlocked vehicles, but if they see something inside your locked vehicle they want, they have no problem breaking a window. He says before you head into a store, you should think twice about leaving a purse behind, even if it’s under a seat.
“If you’re not going to take it don’t carry it. Don’t bring it. Just leave it at home. Bring your credit cards you can slip in your pocket, with your ID, that’s all you need.”
If you do find yourself as a burglary victim, the first thing you should do is file a police report and then call your bank.
“Any time where you're victimized of anything where you lose that type of information, you want to cancel those as fast as you can so these people don’t have the opportunity to go rack up a bunch of credit on your credit card."
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