This Time Of The Year

This Time Of The Year A Candid Conversation By Theresa Grant Real Estate Columnist This time of year is so special in that it is a time of coming together with family, friends, and coworkers. It’s a time of reflection and looking forward to a new year, perhaps a new chapter in life. It’s many things wrapped up in one season. Unfortunately, it’s also a time of year that the scammers and thieves are working harder than any other time of the year to scam, steal, and rob people of their hard-earned dollars, retirement funds, newly purchased Christmas gifts, and well, anything they can get their hands on. While there is a bit of a cautionary tale embedded in this article, it is more of an observance. With the busy Christmas shopping season well underway, the malls here and there are full of shoppers, and the parking lots are filled with cars. We have seen the police do their usual reminders on the news to be vigilant, be aware and lock your car doors while shopping. They also remind us to never leave anything visible in the front or back seat. Put things in your trunk so that those who cruise the parking lots looking for an easy grab don’t see what you have in your car. A friend of mine told me recently of a disturbing situation that occurred to one of her family members over at the Oshawa Centre. Her family member was walking toward her car in the parking lot after shopping and a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children were outside of their vehicle and seemed to be in distress. The man motioned to this lady to come over to them and being an older woman, raised in a time that you were taught to help others, she approached. The man asked for directions and gave some sob story. The lady provided the directions and the man said he wanted to thank her and offered her a necklace for her trouble. He took her actual necklace from her neck and put on the one he was offering as a gift. This all happened in a split second and left the woman in complete shock. Of course, what he had taken was a real gold chain and what he gave her was a cheap worthless piece of junk jewlery. I know a lot of people, me included, think to themselves that this could never happen to them. I honestly think that that is exactly why it does happen to more people than we realize. My phone lights up constantly with FED X warnings that this is my last reminder that my package is ready to be delivered, I get text messages that I need to pay my 407 bill before it escalates, I need to pay my taxes immediately or I’ll go to jail etc. The scammers are out there in full force this holiday season. Instead of thinking it could never happen to you, take a minute to make sure your doors are locked, scan the parking lots before you venture into them, be aware of your surroundings and stay safe.