Police Offer Holiday Warning: Watch for Scams

As holiday shopping ramps up, police detectives from Cornelius, Huntersville and Davidson are urging residents to take precautions against package theft, identity theft and increasingly convincing scams.

During a Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce discussion, the officers offered practical advice for protecting deliveries, recognizing fraud attempts and safeguarding personal and financial information.

Protect holiday deliveries

Package theft, commonly called porch piracy, tends to increase during the holiday shopping season. Detectives said thieves sometimes follow delivery trucks, watching for packages left unattended.

Residents can reduce the risk by scheduling deliveries when someone is home, asking a trusted neighbor to retrieve packages or using Amazon lockers. Secure delivery boxes are another option.

Doorbell cameras and other security cameras can also help investigators identify suspects. Police departments in Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson work together to track vehicles and identify people captured on video.

But timing matters. Residents sometimes wait a week or longer to realize a package is missing, making it harder to obtain video footage before it is deleted.

“If you don’t have any cameras we’re already behind the eight ball, so by the time you realize it’s been stolen so much time has gone by, video footage is hard to find,” said Davidson detective AJ Heitmann.

Unsolicited messages are a warning sign

Detectives said one of the simplest ways to avoid scams is to question unexpected communications, whether they arrive by phone, text or email.

“If you didn’t initiate it, it’s probably a scam,” said Huntersville detective Tim Lesser.

Scammers may pose as banks, retailers or government agencies and create a false sense of urgency. Victims may be told they must act immediately, transfer money or remain on the phone while going to a bank.

The detectives cautioned that pressure to act quickly is a major warning sign. Scammers want victims to act before they have time to research the claim or consult friends, family members or law enforcement.

Residents should be especially cautious when a caller or message demands immediate action or discourages them from seeking advice.

Cornelius Detective Matthew Piwowar added that scams often carry a level of urgency and time constraint that should be a red flag to potential victims.

Guard personal and financial information

Identity theft can go undetected for weeks or years, detectives said. Residents can monitor their credit histories, consider placing a credit freeze and activate bank and credit card transaction alerts to spot suspicious activity.

They also recommended shredding mail and other documents containing personal information before discarding them. Even partially destroyed checks can expose information that criminals may use.

Online security is another concern. Reusing the same email address and password across multiple websites can put financial accounts at risk if one of those sites experiences a data breach. Detectives advised residents to use different passwords and be careful about saving payment information online.

One recommendation was to use credit cards rather than debit cards for purchases because debit cards provide direct access to bank funds. Transaction alerts can help consumers spot unauthorized charges quickly.

Report suspected fraud

Detectives encouraged residents and business owners to report suspected fraud, even when they have not lost money.

Reports help police document patterns, share information across jurisdictions and potentially connect incidents that otherwise might appear unrelated. Residents can also report internet-related crimes to the FBI at IC3.gov.

The detectives emphasized that fraud victims should not assume their cases are too small to report. Even when a report does not immediately solve an individual case, the information may help investigators identify suspects in other incidents.

The officers also advised residents to be cautious about granting others access to financial accounts and business software. Businesses can limit account permissions and require a second person to approve payments, reducing the risk of unauthorized transfers.

The central message from the discussion was to slow down when something seems urgent, protect personal information, monitor deliveries and financial accounts, and report suspicious activity rather than ignoring it.