LANSING, Mich. — Businesses experts are predicting more than a trillion dollars during this year's holiday season.
That'll be a first if it happens.
A lot of people are going to be out shopping this week and into the weekend and the Meridian Township Police Department is giving tips to make shopping around the holidays safer.
Police say shoppers should avoid bringing large amounts of cash.
They should try to pay with a debit or credit card.
And as shoppers go from store-to-store, they should lock anything valuable in the trunk of their car.
There are a lot of criminals out during holiday shopping, so police are warning people about leaving anything valuable on their front seat.
Police also say wallets and purses are big targets for criminals, so be cautious of them when bringing them into stores.
Those who shop online can avoid all the chaos of shopping in stores and at the mall, but there are a few things to be cautious of.
Do not buy anything on public WI-FI and shoppers should check their bank accounts after buying their gifts.
Police say shoppers should make sure the site they're buying from is legitimate, otherwise is could be a scam.
Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Better Business Bureau are warning people about a common rip-off tactic that shows up during the holidays.
It's called drop-shipping.
People set up websites to advertise products they bought from other retailers with mark ups of up to $50 or more.
There are a few ways to avoid being a victim of these drop-shipping tactics.
First, research the product and the seller before buying.
Complete an online image search of the product to see who else might be selling it as well and how much it really costs.
And compare prices of the same or similar products from other sellers.
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