With holiday shopping getting underway this week, Jessie Schmidt of the Better Business Bureau in Sioux Falls offers these tips on protecting your gifts and your credit cards!

""We at the BBB encourage people not to bring all their credit cards with them and not to carry a lot of cash.  Just take what you think you'll spend that day.  The credit cards that you do use---make copies front and back in your home at a very secure place just in case you lose them while in the mall."

When you're shopping, Schmidt urges you to be aware of your surroundings---especially in the parking lot.

"Put your packages in the trunk if you can.  Don't leave your purse in the car.  Double check to make sure the car doors are locked.  If you do have to put packages in your back seat---make sure they're covered with a blanket.  It's just sometime too good of temptation for bad guys."

Between now and Christmas day, Jessie Schmidt says the 'bad guys' manage to steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting shoppers.

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